The Storm
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: When a major storm hits Summer Bay, Charlie is stunned to run into the love of her life again...
1. Chapter 1

_When I was watching the storm episodes earlier this year, I spotted yet another missed opportunity to bring Joey back into the story. I hope you like it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**The Storm**

**Chapter One**

Joey Collins was glad to have finished her shift at work. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. She was also looking forward to curling up with her best friend and housemate, Aden Jeffries, perhaps entering round one thousand of their Xbox wars and polishing off a few beers. Then it would be time to sleep and hopefully face another day.

"Jo!" a male voice called from behind her.

Dressed in her civilian clothes and with her paramedic uniform scrunched up in her bag, ready for home, Joey turned round in surprise.

"Come on, Aden!" she complained to the boy who had called her. "I want to go home. There's a pizza in the fridge that's screaming my name!"

The muscular, blonde man in his early twenties shook his head. Still in uniform, he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"We have to stay on shift," he said gravely.

Joey's heart sank.

"What?" she complained. "I've done ten straight hours. I literally have nothing left to give."

She pouted for good measure, making Aden chuckle.

"There's a major storm on the way," he informed her. "It's a case of all hands on deck."

"I thought it was hitting the coast," Joey pointed out, having heard the news on the radio.

She'd been under the impression that the bad weather wouldn't affect the city, where she and Aden had been living together for a year now.

"That's the thing," the younger paramedic said rather awkwardly. "They've asked us to drive out to the coast to be there to support the effort."

Joey paused, eyeing her friend with suspicion.

"Where exactly on the coast?" she asked cautiously.

She already knew from his eyes that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Summer Bay," he confirmed.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Aden and Joey head to Summer Bay while Charlie and her team attempt to put safety measures in place…<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"No way," Joey said shaking her head and backing away. "I'm not doing it."

Aden stepped forward and took her hands. She already knew that she would give in but she was desperate to put up at least a little bit of a fight.

"Jo, they need help," he said. "People are dying. People we love are dying."

Joey's frown deepened. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about Charlie, Ruby, Leah and VJ, not to mention her brother, Brett. Whatever had happened in the past, she couldn't bear for them to be hurt.

"Even if we don't _want _to love them," Aden added, dropping her hands but not her gaze.

"Don't they have their own emergency services?" Joey asked. "Can't they deal with their own storm?"

"It looks like it's going to be a pretty big deal," Aden said. "And I know they have their own services and people like Alf will be working flat out to try and save the day but they need all hands on deck. Come on, Jo, you know we have to go."

Joey sighed heavily. She had made a solemn promise to herself not that long ago that she would never go back to the Bay. After Charlie had broken her heart, she'd headed off on a long haul to clear her head. She'd left with the intention of returning in three months and trying to start again but she'd thought ahead and called Aden before her time was through. Her best friend had had the unhappy task of informing her that although she still didn't seem very happy, Charlie was dating a new guy. So, deciding that there was nothing left for her there, Joey had failed to come home.

"Fine," she said. "You can drive. I'll get changed in the back."

Nodding triumphantly, although in reality, he had as little desire to return to Summer Bay as Joey did, Aden followed orders. Less than two minutes later, with Joey battling her uniform in the back of the ambulance, Aden drove them down towards the coast.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean a charter's gone out?" Sergeant Charlie Buckton demanded.<p>

The storm was setting in faster and faster and the police officer's stress levels were rising as high as the floods were likely to. The wind was ferocious, the rain was beginning and thunder could clearly be heard only a few miles away.

"I couldn't stop them," Romeo Smith said, sounding deflated and a little defensive. "I tried. They tried to get _me _to take them out but I said no. So they just got Harvey to do it. And now I've probably lost the contract."

Charlie raised her eyebrows.

"Which isn't the point," he added quickly. "The point is that Harvey, Roo, Dennis and some of their associates are out on the water."

"Roo?" Alf Stewart demanded, charging over.

As usual, the Summer Bay stalwart was at the heart of trying to save the town. Romeo nodded glumly.

"Great," Charlie muttered. "It's going to be hard enough to keep sensible people safe without charging out looking after idiots who think they can go sailing in this weather!"

Glancing at Alf, she apologised. Roo was his daughter after all.

"I agree with you," Alf said grimly. "Look, let Romeo and a couple of the crew come out with me to find them and bring them to shore. You carry on looking after the sensible people."

He smiled to show that his last comment was intended to be light hearted. Nodding, Charlie smiled and patted him on the shoulder. Then she turned to the assembled emergency services who had all crammed into the Surf Club, a base for what they hoped would be rescues rather than casualties.

"Okay, they've set up an evacuation centre at the school," she said. "I need some people to head over there and keep things as safe as possible. Until things get too violent, I need teams on patrol for any stragglers who aren't smart enough to get to a safe location."

"Charlie," Watson said worriedly. "Are you sure there are even enough of us to keep everyone safe tonight?"

"Got it covered," Charlie assured her. "We've got teams coming in from the city to help us out."

Taking charge, the Sergeant began to dish out locations for her team, splitting them between following Alf and Romeo to rescue Harvey, Roo and their business associates, the school and keeping people off the beach.

"Watson, will you come with me to check that Leah's okay in the Diner? April was helping her close up but with the baby and everything, I really don't want to take any chances."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey are both on hand to help Leah…<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_This might not be the reunion you were hoping for but give it time. They're going to be running into each other a lot over the next few chapters! Also, I am planning an extra update on Christmas Eve as I obviously won't be updating on Christmas Day. So get your votes in for which story you would like an extra of. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Three**

"Look out," Joey said, nodding towards the Diner, sitting on the beachfront of Summer Bay.

Amid the wind and the rain and the rumbling thunder that was getting closer by the second, was a lone teenager with dark hair, waving wildly at their ambulance. Nodding, Aden pulled up outside and climbed out of their vehicle.

"Do you need help?" Aden asked.

Neither he, nor Joey recognised her from their time living in the Bay, although they supposed that a fair few things had changed over the last few years.

"My friend, Leah," the girl explained. "She's bleeding."

Joey raced into the building and Aden hurried after her. Inside, they found Leah with Elijah, Miles and VJ, all looking desperately worried. Joey skidded onto her knees calling her former housemate's name.

"Joey?" Leah Patterson-Baker managed, looking utterly startled. "Aden?"

She glanced between Rev Elijah Johnson, her former fiancé and Miles Copeland, her current love and the father of her unborn baby.

"Is this really happening or have I passed out with delirium?"

Joey grinned.

"We're your knights in shining armour," she grinned.

Leah laughed. Elijah looked confused. He recognised Aden as the boy who had left town with his brother last year, breaking poor Nicole Franklin's heart along the way. But the young woman who seemed to be taking charge of the situation was a complete stranger.

"Can you tell us what's happened?" Joey asked gently.

"I'm pregnant," Leah explained.

Joey tried not to look surprised. As she had only said to herself a few moments ago, a lot could change in two years. Last time she had lived in the Bay, Leah had been single, only very recently breaking up with Charlie's ex-boyfriend, Roman Harris. Based on the look of concern on the faces of the two men with her, she couldn't quite decide who the father was.

"And I'm bleeding," Leah added. "It was too dangerous to try and get to the hospital by ourselves in this weather and..."

She trailed off.

"Is Mum going to be okay?" said a small voice behind them.

Joey glanced round at the little boy she had once adored babysitting. She couldn't help but marvel over how grown up he seemed compared to the child she had once known.

"Of course she is, Veej," she said, flashing a smile.

He looked utterly delighted when he recognised her, not hesitating in throwing himself into her arms for a hug.

"I'll go get the bag from the ambulance," Aden decided, hurrying back out into the storm.

"Will you be taking her to the hospital?" Elijah asked anxiously.

"Yes," Joey said, letting go of VJ in order to check Leah over as politely as possible. "It's the safest thing to do. We've got room for one to come with us. But I'll radio in for an escort to get the rest of you to the evacuation centre at the school."

Elijah nodded and reluctantly backed off. Miles leant closer and caught hold of Leah's hand.

"Everything's going to be okay," he said gently.

Aden arrived back with a first aid bag and a stretcher. Joey's breath caught when a rather dishevelled looking Charlie Buckton and Georgie Watson appeared behind them. Charlie froze the moment she saw Joey. Her pulse quickened and she struggled to form words.

"Can you take those who aren't coming to the hospital to the school, please?" Joey asked, all business, as she accepted the bag from Aden.

"Sure," Charlie managed. "We just came to check Leah was okay closing up the Diner."

She moved forward, beside Elijah and caught hold of her friend's other hand.

"What's going on?" she asked gently.

For a moment, Joey envisioned Charlie being the father of the baby. Now that really would be a shocker and, of course, biologically impossible. Joey tried not to smile as she and Aden put her safely on the stretcher.

"I'm bleeding," Leah explained. "I think something might be wrong with the baby."

She caught sight of VJ, who looked utterly stricken.

"It'll be fine, Veej," she promised. "Everything will be fine. You go with Elijah and April to the school and Miles will call you to let you know what's going on as soon as possible."

VJ nodded mutely. Charlie moved round to put her arm around him, feeling protective of the little boy she had lived with for the best part of three years.

"Everything's going to be fine," she assured him.

Joey nodded at Aden and they carefully began to move Leah out of the Diner.

"We'll lock up for you!" April called out, desperate to be helpful.

Still with her arm around VJ's narrow shoulders, Charlie stared as Joey took Leah to the hospital. She felt like she was trapped in some kind of weird, indefinable dream.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Aden can't resist discussing Charlie with Joey and Ruby discovers that Joey is back in town…<em>


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Well, that wasn't awkward," Aden remarked.

Having deposited Leah and a frantic Miles, who, they had established had been dating Joey's former housemate for a few months and was indeed the father of her baby, the two best friends were back in their ambulance.

"I don't know what you could possibly mean," Joey smirked. "Are you referring to the Leah, Miles and Elijah situation?"

Aden rolled his eyes and hopped into the driver's seat of their vehicle. They had established en route that while Leah had indeed been dating Elijah by the time Aden had left town the previous year, he had moved to and from Africa and got married in the meantime to provide his wife and her son with a visa so they could get free medical care in Australia. And somewhere along the way, Leah had briefly been interested in a city Detective called Robert but was now dating Miles. Apparently he was now living in the house with her, Charlie, Ruby and VJ and they were excitedly looking forward to the birth of their child. They had hung around the hospital long enough to receive the good news that the baby was fine but everyone had been worried for a while there.

"Yeah, that," Aden remarked, waiting for Joey to settle in the passenger seat, relieved to be out of the wind and rain once again. "You didn't even _look _at Charlie."

"I looked!" Joey protested as Aden headed back to the temporary headquarters set up at the Surf Club to await their next shout. "I saw every frustratingly beautiful feature on her frustratingly beautiful face."

She wrinkled her nose as if there was a foul smell in the air.

"Yep," Aden said. "You're every bit as over her as you say you are. I totally believe you now."

During the time that the two friends had been reunited, both had been trying to deal with their own personal heartbreak. Aden was still grieving for his late wife, Belle Taylor, who had died of cancer just after Joey had left town in 2009. And he still felt guilty for how he had left things with his next girlfriend, Nicole. Since then, he had dated a few girls on and off but nobody was ever going to come close to stepping into the shoes of the love of his life. And as for Joey, she had lived a life of one night stands for the past couple of years. She'd tried to convince the world that she wasn't a 'relationship kind of girl' and that she didn't want the hassle of entwining her life with another person. But those who knew her well, namely Aden, were aware that she was just terrified of getting hurt.

"I am over her," Joey lied. "I don't give a flying fuck about her anymore."

"Oh, it's a _flying _fuck now, is it?" Aden laughed. "You've upgraded."

Joey merely shrugged and looked out of the window as they headed to the Surf Club.

"Wait!" she called. "Is that Xavier?"

She and Aden both craned their necks to look out towards the beach, although visibility was more than a little difficult.

"I think so," Aden said.

The young man appeared to be arguing with some girl.

"Duty calls," Joey sighed. "Stupid kids. Don't they know it's not a good time to go swimming?"

* * *

><p>"So, that was... a shock," Watson remarked.<p>

They had taken Elijah, VJ and April to the evacuation centre at the school and with the weather getting worse, they had opted to hide out a little themselves until they were called back out into the storm.

"What was?" Charlie asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh, come on, you know what I'm talking about," Watson said.

Charlie continued to look blank, although in reality, she hadn't been able to remove Joey from her mind since the moment she had seen her again. Not to mention for the past two years.

"Joey!" Watson finally exclaimed.

"What about Joey?" Ruby asked, appearing as if from nowhere.

Charlie sighed. She needed to process the situation before she talked about it but now, she would have no choice. Ruby came to sit beside her at one of the tables in a classroom.

"She's in town," Charlie explained.

Ruby's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you serious?" she squeaked. "Did you come to see you? What about Br...?"

She trailed off and clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified to have put her foot in it with Watson.

"Yes, I'm serious," Charlie said calmly. "No, she didn't come to see me. She and Aden appear to be working as paramedics or something. And I don't know about _Brett_. I haven't seen him."

Sometimes she was horrified about how easy it was for her to lie. But right now, it didn't matter. The last thing she needed was for Watson, or any other colleague for that matter, to know about her relationship with Brax. They weren't even technically together anymore. She had already confessed to her superior, Inspector Joyce and he had advised that no good could come of her telling the truth, especially as the relationship was over, albeit simmering.

"Wow," Ruby said. "And Aden's here too?"

"Yep," Charlie confirmed. "I gather that they came in from the city to help us out with casualties from the storm."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully.

"Where did you see her? How did she look?"

"We saw her at the Diner, taking Leah to hospital."

"Leah's in hospital?" Ruby cried in sheer alarm.

"She was bleeding," Charlie explained.

"Oh my... Is the baby okay?" Ruby asked worriedly.

Charlie nodded, explaining that Miles had called to let them know that all was well.

"Joey and Aden were on the scene," she added. "And she looked really well. Joey, that is, not Leah."

She pictured Joey in her mind and tried not to swoon. It hadn't exactly been the homecoming Charlie had envisioned all this time but my, she looked good in uniform.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Aden finds out about Angelo and Nicole while Xavier attempts to stand up for Charlie…<em>


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Joey?" Xavier gasped in surprise. "Aden?"

The situation was becoming more and more surreal by the second.

"Hi, Xave," Joey said.

She sounded different to the easy going person he had briefly known, back when she had been dating Charlie and he had been dating Ruby. So many things had happened since then. Charlie had slept with Hugo, Xavier's brother behind Joey's back, prompting her to leave town. She had then had a very on-off relationship with Angelo Rosetta, who had left town with Nicole Franklin – Aden's ex-girlfriend, and a baby to complete the package. And Xavier and Ruby had split, only for her to get with Geoff Campbell. Then they'd got back together but broken up over Ruby's ill-fated crush on Liam Murphy. Then Xavier had dated April twice but she was now with his best friend, Dex Walker. He'd had a brief love affair with a country girl called Kelly and a swift crush on a girl called Miranda. Meanwhile, Ruby had slept with Romeo behind Indigo Walker's back and was now in a serious relationship with Casey Braxton. If all of that had happened in two years in a small town, Xavier almost dreaded to think what Joey might have experienced.

"What are you two doing on the beach?" the young woman asked both teenagers.

She sounded very businesslike, keen to cut to the chase.

"I wasn't on the beach," Xavier said quickly. "I've been closing it for John before the storm hits."

Joey wondered what Ruby's ex boyfriend's relationship to John Palmer was but opted not to say anything. Aden could fill her in later.

"What about you?" Joey asked, addressing a girl that none of them recognised.

"I can do what I want," she snapped. "You can't boss me about."

Joey and Aden rolled their eyes at the typical, stroppy teenager.

"It's dangerous to be out here," Joey told her. "Or are you completely oblivious to the weather?"

She gestured to the world around them.

"Sasha!" yelled a small voice.

The girl turned just in time for a little boy to bundle himself into her arms.

"Felix!" she said.

"I'm scared!" the little boy admitted.

"Look, let us get you to the evacuation centre," Aden suggested impatiently.

He was soaked to the skin, despite his waterproofs and the less time he had to spend out in the open, the better.

"We're fine," Sasha snapped.

"We're not asking you," Joey replied sternly. "Come on."

She and Aden began to walk back to the ambulance, gesturing for the kids to follow. Xavier jogged to catch up with Joey.

"I don't want to go to the school," he said anxiously.

"I'm sure they won't make you study," Aden smirked.

Joey chuckled. She could always count on her best friend to make light of any situation.

"It's John," Xavier explained. "He's at home and he's not very well. And I've got his phone because I have no credit on mine. I'm worried about him."

Aden and Joey exchanged glances.

"What's wrong with him?" Joey wondered.

John wasn't a person she had particularly got to know during her time in the Bay. They had never had all that much to do with each other, although she had found some of his opinions rather infuriating, as she recalled.

"He got hurt during a brawl at the Surf Club last week," Xavier explained.

"A brawl?" Aden asked.

That didn't sound like the Summer Bay he knew and loved.

"A lot of things have changed her," Xavier said grimly. "The River Boys pretty much run this town and they never stop causing trouble. Right now, the whole place is rife with gang warfare and the cops don't seem to have the first clue about how to stop it."

Charlie flashed into Joey's mind in an instant but she shook the image away. Letting the kids into the back of the ambulance, she took over the driving seat and headed over to a house she had nothing but bad memories in. It was at that house, when Xavier had lived there with Martha Holden and Hugo that she had first realised that Charlie had cheated on her. Just the mere memory made bile rise up in her throat. She choked it back down. She was here to do a job and nothing else. As soon as the storm was over and any casualties had been rescued, she and Aden would head home. Perhaps then, they could pretend that nothing had happened.

"Xave?" Aden ventured from the passenger seat.

"Yeah?"

"Is um... is Nicole still living here?"

Joey glanced at him in the rearview mirror and noted how awkward he looked. _Please don't be dead, _she thought to herself anxiously.

"She moved away," Xavier finally said.

"How come? Is she okay? Does anyone hear from her now?"

"Uh... yeah, she and Angelo are living together," Xavier said.

Joey choked on thin air.

"Angelo, as in the guy Charlie was fucking thirty seconds after I left town?" she spat bitterly.

Aden cleared his throat. Glancing at the young child in the mirror, she apologised for her use of language.

"Not that you're hurting or anything," Aden also commented.

"Um... well, I think it was a little while before..." Xavier tried.

"It wasn't three months," Joey snapped.

"She did love you though," Xavier said hesitantly. "Ruby's always said that you were the person she loved first and the most. She was really cut up when you left."

"Yeah, well she had one hell of a time at both the murder and the wake of our relationship," Joey remarked.

"Don't try," Aden instructed the teenager.

"I just... I don't want you to think that Charlie didn't miss you," Xavier persisted. "She did. She does. She and Angelo mostly got together because they were lonely and to be honest, looking back at it now, it's a surprise that they lasted as long as they did. They were always fighting and breaking up. I don't think she felt about him the way she felt about you. And I don't think she's been with anyone else since they broke up at Christmas. She really loved you, Joey."

"Well, if that's how she treats someone she loves then I'd be terrified of seeing how she treated someone she hated," Joey said.

"Like I said," Aden sighed. "Charlie is pretty much a brick wall in Joey's head."

"No, she's not!" Joey argued. "I don't like her. I don't dislike her. I don't feel anything for her at all."

Aden and Xavier exchanged glances, not believing a word of it.

"Anyway, we were talking about Nicole," Joey reminded them.

Now it was Aden's turn to look sad.

"She really hooked up with Angelo?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, he was really great with the baby and... everything."

Aden looked like his head was about to explode.

"He got her pregnant?" he demanded.

"No," Xavier said quickly. "After you left, she got together with this guy called Penn Graham. He wasn't a good guy and he pretty much terrorised the Bay. A friend of Irene's killed him but Alf nearly went to jail for it."

Aden and Joey both looked horrified.

"Nicole gave the baby, George, up for adoption to Sid and Marilyn..."

"Who?" Joey asked.

"Um, Sid is a Doctor who used to live here and then came back last year."

"Sid Walker?" Aden asked.

Xavier nodded.

"And Marilyn is an old friend of Alf's," Xavier explained. "They've split up now but they were together for a little while and adopted Nicole's baby. But then she changed her mind and decided that she wanted to keep him. And then she and Angelo got together and now they're living together with George out in the city somewhere."

"Happy families," Aden remarked.

He quickly reminded himself that he had no right to be bitter or jealous. He'd had his chance with Nicole and he'd blown it. Perhaps Angelo was someone who could treat her well, although he couldn't help but worry. Angelo wouldn't have exactly been in line for any 'boyfriend of the year' prizes when he'd been dating Charlie.

"We're here," Joey said, pulling up outside the house.

The five of them burst out of the ambulance and Xavier let them into the property. He jerked forward in panic when he saw John passed out on the floor.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Aden and Joey rush John to the hospital and Joey and Charlie finally have a conversation…<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a good time bringing 2012 in. I don't usually bother, to be honest, but I had a very entertaining party this year with my friends. I hope 2011 was great for all of you and that 2012 will be even better. And I also hope you enjoy the chapter. I will be back with the final chapter of 'Survivors' shortly. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Six**

Aden and Joey immediately leapt into action to treat John. Xavier stood frantically beside them, feeling like his whole world was on the verge of collapse. It might have taken them a while to like to each other but now, Xavier loved John as if he were his real Dad. They had been through a lot together and to lose him now would destroy him and Gina both. And he wasn't sure that he could live with the guilt of leaving him alone. If only he hadn't agreed to go and close the beach for him, then he would have been home when he collapsed.

"Where have those kids gone?" Aden asked, glancing around the room.

"I don't care!" Xavier exclaimed angrily.

"Go check," Aden instructed, more to distract him than anything else.

Xavier hesitated and then walked back out into the storm. Sasha and her little brother, Felix were nowhere in sight.

"They're gone," he said when he returned.

"Call the police and give them a description," Joey said, leaping to her feet in order to grab a stretcher from the ambulance.

Xavier nodded, pulling out John's phone from his pocket. He gave all the necessary details over the phone while he hurried after Joey and Aden, who were putting John in the ambulance in a bid to take him to hospital and save his life.

* * *

><p>As Joey and Aden drove John and Xavier to the hospital, Charlie and Watson left the school in a bid to hunt for Sasha and Felix. Everyone was desperate for this night to end. It was an hour before Charlie and Watson spotted a teenager and a little boy fighting their way through the wind and rain, looking utterly lost.<p>

"You're pretty hard to track down!" Charlie called out the window.

"We didn't know we were so popular," the teenage girl remarked.

"Well, you are," Charlie said. "And it's not safe out here. Get in the car."

"I've always been told not to get into stranger's cars," Sasha said.

"If they're cops, it's okay," Charlie assured her. "Do you really want your little brother to catch pneumonia or something worse?"

Sasha hesitated and then relented.

"Who do you belong to?" Charlie asked when they were seated in the back of the patrol car. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I'm the abandoned daughter of Doctor Sid Walker," Sasha informed her.

Charlie and Watson exchanged glances. With the reputation of the local lothario, it was hardly a surprise. He had been a serial cheater on his wife, Jodi, had hooked up with several nurses both this time and last time he had lived in the Bay, ended up in a very complicated situation with Nicole for a while, fallen in love with Marilyn Chambers and then dumped her for Roo Stewart. The news that he had an illegitimate daughter from some way back was hardly a shock.

"We'll take you to the hospital in that case," Charlie decided. "Then your Dad can keep an eye on you."

"He's my father," Sasha corrected. "He's not my Dad."

* * *

><p>With thankfully few call outs, Joey and Aden had hung around the hospital, mostly to keep an eye on Xavier while Gina tried to get through the storm to be with her husband. Joey had insisted on a police escort to the hospital for the Head Teacher. The last thing the family needed was another accident.<p>

"Looks like they found them," Aden said, nodding ahead of him from where they were sitting on uncomfortable plastic chairs in the corridor.

Joey looked up and her breath caught when she saw Charlie. She'd hoped that she'd reacted that way the first time because it had been so long but no, it looked like the police officer would always have that kind of effect on her. Joey hated them both for it.

"Yep," she said, watching as Charlie and Watson brought Sasha and Felix to Sid, who looked more than a little flustered and didn't seem to even recognise the boy.

Then Charlie steeled herself to approach Joey.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," Aden replied when Joey ignored her.

"Is there any news on John?"

"There's something wrong with his spleen," Xavier said uncertainly, glancing at Joey and Aden for help.

"He has a ruptured spleen," Joey explained without any emotion. "It's a complication from what happened to him at the Surf Club last week. But he should be fine."

"Good," Charlie said, putting her hands in her pockets and feeling very awkward. "Good."

Silence fell between them. Watson busied herself with looking at leaflets.

"Joey, could I... could I have a private word?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"I'm going to go and see if I can see John," Xavier said, leaping to his feet and hurrying away.

"And I'm going to go and get some fresh air," Aden lied, also standing.

"There's a storm going on if you hadn't noticed!" Joey objected, not wanting to be left alone with Charlie for a second.

"I know," Aden said, leaving anyway.

Charlie took a deep breath and then sat down beside Joey.

"How... how have you been?"

"I've been great," Joey said. "I worked on trawlers for a while, met up with Aden again, bought a place together in the city, trained for the ambulance service, I'm doing a part time degree and I have a wonderful life. Thank you."

"That's good..." Charlie said. "I'm glad. You deserve happiness."

Joey nodded curtly.

"I... I've missed you," Charlie said.

Joey sighed and flung her hands in her lap, turning to face Charlie.

"I don't care," she said.

Charlie looked wounded.

"I don't believe for a second that you missed me," Joey told her. "I think you forgot about me the moment I was a mere dot on the horizon."

"Of course I didn't..."

"You didn't give a shit about me or our relationship, Charlie," Joey said certainly. "I was nothing more than an experiment that went wrong because you were never intending to tell anyone that you were with me."

"I..."

"There's a reason why I didn't come back," Joey said, standing up. "And there's a reason that I'll be leaving town again at the first available opportunity."

"Joey!" Charlie begged as her soul mate marched off down the corridor.

She fought tears as she watched her leave.

"_Why _didn't you come back?" she asked weakly.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… the school roof collapses, Charlie panics and Joey falls out with Aden…<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_I actually just finished writing this story last night so I can tell you that there will be thirty one chapters in total. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seven**

"Charlie, we've got an emergency down at the school," Watson said urgently, interrupting Charlie's heartbreak.

Joey whirled back around at the word 'emergency' and hurried over in case she was needed.

"What's happened?" she asked.

"The roof's collapsed."

Charlie paled.

"Ruby's there," she said, her breath catching in her throat.

Joey watched in horror as Charlie, usually so cool, calm and collected, began to panic.

"Aden!" Joey hollered towards the automatically opening doors as various people trudged in and out.

The young man who had been standing just outside the hospital dashed back in.

"Charlie, it'll be fine," Joey said firmly but gently.

"What if she's hurt?" Charlie said.

Nothing ever affected her as badly as the thought of her little girl being in danger. Realising that she was on the risk of hyperventilating, Joey gently held her upper arms and looked into her eyes.

"She'll be fine," she said certainly. "She'll be sitting in a classroom, wondering what's going on. But we'll all go now. You and Watson, me and Aden. We'll get to the school and we'll fix the situation. Okay?"

Charlie tried to regulate her breathing.

"Okay?" Joey repeated.

Charlie swallowed and nodded.

"Okay," she said weakly.

"Okay, let's go," Joey said.

She released Charlie and turned abruptly towards the exit.

"Oh, and make sure Watson drives!" she called back over her shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Did I just get struck by lightening or something or were you just nice to Charlie Buckton?" Aden asked incredulously as he and Joey sped off in the direction of the school.<p>

"Her daughter could be in danger," Joey said, keeping her voice of emotion. "A daughter that I'm particularly fond of. So yes, I was nice to her but don't start thinking it means anything."

"Heaven forbid!" Aden remarked with a chuckle.

"Aden, none of this is funny," Joey snapped.

He was alarmed by how genuinely angry she sounded.

"Sorry..." he tried.

"Then would you stop trying to tease me like this is some big joke?" Joey begged, her voice a little gentler. "I've been thrown back into a town in the middle of a storm, with a woman who ripped out my heart and stamped on it until there was nothing left. And that was on the back of being brutalised by a bastard that is at least rotting in jail now. She met me at my most vulnerable and all the while she was 'helping me' she was just destroying what little I had left."

She hurriedly brushed tears away with one hand, keeping her eyes firmly on the road ahead.

"Sorry," Aden said again. "I'll stop joking about it. I guess I just thought..."

"What?" Joey asked when he trailed off.

"I thought maybe you'd finally get your love story," he said softly.

"My love story?" Joey queried.

"Yeah, you know, maybe you'd see her across a crowded room and you'd both realise you still loved each other and then there would be all this swoony music and you'd get back together and..."

"It's not going to happen," Joey said quickly but quietly. "I'm not in love with her anymore."

Aden nodded, although he didn't believe a word of it.

"Once upon a time, I thought Charlie was the love of my life," Joey ventured. "And I might not believe I'm the greatest person on earth but even I know that I deserve better than that. Better than her."

"Maybe..." Aden tried.

"Please don't stand up for her," Joey begged. "Please?"

"Okay," Aden agreed, sinking back in his seat as they neared the school. "I'm sorry. I just wanted you guys to get the happy ending that I could never have."

* * *

><p>"Charlie, breathe," Watson said. "It's a huge school. Any part of the roof could have collapsed. It's unlikely that Ruby will be in trouble. It'll be someone like..."<p>

She trailed off. How could _anyone _being crushed by a roof be okay?

"Casey?" Charlie said unhappily. "One of Ruby's best friends? Elijah or VJ, Gina... any poor soul from this town?"

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, steeling herself to regain control. Falling apart wasn't going to help anyone. Right now, she was a police officer and it was her duty to protect the town and all is residents.

"It'll be fine," Watson said. "Everything's going to be fine."

She offered her most encouraging smile. Despite the circumstances, Charlie was comforted. She just hoped Watson and Joey were both right.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… the team try to rescue Heath and Bianca before two people are called out to a car crash…<em>


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Charlie and Watson arrived at the school just before Joey and Aden. Neither party wasted any time in rushing to the area where the roof had collapsed.

"Ruby!" Charlie yelled frantically.

"Yes?" said an adolescent voice behind her.

Joey watched as Charlie whirled around, hugging her daughter tightly.

"Thank God you're alright!" Charlie said breathlessly. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm fine aside from a broken heart," Ruby said, frowning and looking over to where Casey was calling for his brother through the rubble.

"Heath!" he yelled. "Heath! Can you hear me?"

Checking once more that Ruby was okay, Charlie told her to wait safely with VJ, Elijah and several others in one of the classrooms. Putting herself back into cop mode, Charlie followed Aden, Joey and Watson to the collapse site. The whole roof was on the floor, blocking the hallway and causing a power cut as rain poured into the building.

"Do we know how many people are in there?" Joey asked.

Casey just continued to yell his brother's name. Charlie touched him lightly on the arm.

"Casey," she said seriously. "Casey, you need to calm down."

The teenager looked terrified.

"Heath's trapped," he said.

"Is anyone else in there?" Aden asked.

"Why? If it's just Heath aren't you going to bother rescuing him?" Casey snapped sourly.

Aden held up his hands.

"Woah, don't judge me," he said, annoyed. "I don't live here. I don't even know who your brother is."

"He's one of the River Boys," Charlie explained.

Aden and Joey both rolled their eyes. Although they hadn't lived in Summer Bay for a while, the reputation of the surfing gang was not beyond them.

"We'll get him out," Charlie assured Casey. "But we need to know what we're dealing with."

"Heath tried to get Bianca out of the way," Casey explained. "The roof fell on both of them."

Charlie nodded and patted him on the shoulder, trying not to reveal her own panic. Bianca was one of her best friends in all the world and she had already been through too much recently.

"Go and wait with the others," she instructed. "We'll do everything we can to rescue them."

Casey nodded reluctantly and entered the nearest classroom. He glanced at Ruby who was sitting at a desk with VJ. Deliberately avoiding her, having just ended their relationship over a row about school and gang warfare, he sat at a desk all by himself.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, the fire brigade had arrived and were carefully digging Heath and Bianca out of the rubble. Charlie and Watson were both helping, as were Joey and Aden. Charlie had also phoned Alf, who had immediately charged over to the school with Romeo and Liam in tow. The former rock star in particular looked out of his mind with worry about the woman he loved.<p>

"Help!" yelled a male voice.

"Hello?" Joey hollered back.

"Help!" yelled a female voice. "Please help us! We're trapped!"

Charlie stepped up beside Joey.

"Heath? Bianca?" she called. "It's Charlie. We've got a team here digging you out, okay? It won't be long."

"I didn't think I could ever be so pleased to hear a cop's voice!" Heath remarked.

Charlie snorted and shook her head, assuring them again that they would soon be safe.

"Charlie, we've had a call in and they need someone on site immediately," Watson said, having stepped away from the scene to take the call.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked.

"There's been a car crash," Watson explained. "They need at least one cop and one medic. Everyone else is busy."

"Well, I'm busy too," Charlie said anxiously.

She didn't want to leave Bianca.

"One of us needs to go," Watson said. "And one of these two."

Joey and Aden both looked round.

"What's up?" Aden asked.

"Can one of you go to a car crash?" Watson asked. "It looks like the woman is in serious danger. A passerby found her but he doesn't have any medical knowledge."

"I'll go," Joey said. "Aden's stronger than me. He can carry on helping shift the rubble."

Watson looked expectantly at Charlie who awkwardly decided to go with Joey. She knew Bianca was in capable hands and there wasn't anything she could do that Watson wasn't capable of. And spending time with Joey suddenly felt like the most important thing in the world, even if they were working.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey and Charlie try to save Tegan's life and Joey discovers Charlie's relationship with Brax…<em>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The sun was beginning to rise by the time Charlie and Joey, in the ambulance, arrived at the crash site. The journey had been filled with tense silence and Charlie had wondered several times if she had made an error by forcing Joey to spend time with her. Pulling up near the car, Charlie and Joey both leapt out of the ambulance and raced forward to where a pedestrian was anxiously waiting for them.

"She's in there," he said. "I've been trying to keep her talking but..."

"You did well," Charlie said, patting him on the arm. "Can you just hang around until another police officer shows up? Then they can take your details."

He nodded and Charlie and Joey headed straight for the car. Charlie froze when she recognised the barely conscious driver. It was Tegan, the girl who had dated Charlie's ex, Brax on and off for years and most recently had a one night stand with him.

Charlie had been all set to go and tell Brax that she didn't care about his lack of respect for the law, understood that he was trying to go straight and wanted him back. Unfortunately, he'd opened the motel room door looking extremely guilty and Tegan had been lounging in his bed.

Brax and Charlie had been apart since then, despite the continuing feelings for him. Now, Charlie and the real love of her life, Joey were about to try and save the life of the woman who had cemented Charlie and Brax's breakup. Suddenly everything felt even more complicated than it had before.

"Tegan?" she said, forcing herself into professional mode. "Tegan? It's Charlie Buckton."

The blonde's eyes fluttered open briefly.

"Great," she slurred. "The woman who hates me has come to rescue me."

Charlie glanced at Joey who looked like she was trying to pretend not to care who this woman was or what her history with Charlie might be. Or, more specifically, was trying to show she didn't care about Charlie at all.

"I don't hate you," Charlie said calmly to Tegan. "I'm here to help you."

"Tegan, can you tell me if you're in any pain?" Joey asked gently.

She looked around, willing the fire brigade to show up. There was no way that she and Charlie could rescue her from the car without making things worse. She would have to be cut out of the vehicle.

"My head," Tegan managed, focussing her attention on Joey instead of Charlie. "And my neck. I can't feel my legs. That's not a good sign, is it?"

Joey kept her face neutral as she told her not to panic about anything and that she would receive the best care there was.

"I'm just going to go and get some stuff from the ambulance and Charlie's going to keep you company, okay?"

Tegan nodded and then winced.

"Please don't nod!" Joey begged, her tone light hearted enough that the patient laughed.

Joey dashed off, leaving Charlie alone with Tegan.

"He loves you, you know," Tegan said, her voice above a whisper.

"Who?" Charlie asked, genuinely confused.

All she could think about was Joey.

"Brax," Tegan said. "Who do you think?"

"Uh..." Charlie faltered.

"I keep holding onto our past but I know he wants you to be his future," Tegan continued. "He loves you and he wants to be with you. I don't like it but..."

She sighed heavily.

"We don't need to worry about any of that now," Charlie said gently, catching hold of Tegan's hand.

Joey and Brax aside, the most important thing to her right now was to help Tegan to the best of her ability.

"Do you love him?" Tegan asked.

Charlie blanched as Joey reappeared with pain killers and a neck brace.

"Don't mind me," the paramedic said blandly.

She gently began to secure Tegan's neck, hoping to minimise the damage the crash may have done to her spine.

"Do you love Brax?" Tegan asked again.

Charlie studied Joey as she worked efficiently on Tegan in order to get her comfortable.

"I don't know," Charlie said quietly.

For a while there, she had truly believed that she did love Brax but now her head was all confused. How could you love someone who constantly lied to you? How could you love someone who was always going against every ethic you'd worked towards for your whole life? And how could you compare those feelings to the ones you had for the most beautiful, kind, gentle and loving woman in the world? Joey and Brax were worlds apart and Charlie knew she felt strongly for both of them. Right now, in light of being face to face with her long, lost love, Charlie couldn't even begin to comprehend how she felt about her most recent ex-boyfriend.

"Then why are you taking the risks you are?" Tegan wondered.

"Tegan, I think there are other things to talk about than Brax," Charlie tried.

"Like what?"

Charlie glanced at Joey who was busy taking Tegan's weak pulse.

"How did the accident happen?" Charlie asked.

"I was driving and... Darcy!"

She shouted so loudly that she made all of them jump.

"Who's Darcy?" Joey asked worriedly.

"My little girl!" Tegan said breathlessly. "She was in the car with me. Heath took her from school and I was taking her back to my Mum. I..."

"Okay, we'll do whatever it takes to find her," Charlie said, gently but firmly. "We'll have back up here any minute. We'll find her, okay? But right now, you have to calm down."

Joey nodded emphatically.

"You need to take some deep breaths for me, okay?" she said in a soothing tone. "You need to be in the best position to get free from this car."

Tegan tried to nod but the brace prevented her. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she tried not to let fear take over.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Brax finds Darcy, Joey meets Brax and Charlie has an accident…<em>


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Charlie and Joey stood back as Tegan was cut out of the car. After far too long trying to talk to her and keep her calm, both women were exhausted. They were also grateful that another ambulance crew had arrived to take over. More police officers had also arrived to cordon off the area.

"You live a complicated life," Joey remarked.

Charlie stood uncomfortably beside her. The last thing she'd wanted was for Joey to find out all the sordid details regarding her affair with Brax. Joey already had a low enough opinion of her without making it worse.

"I guess," Charlie said weakly.

Joey considered asking who this 'Brax' guy was but she managed to convince herself that she didn't care. Remaining silent, she observed the drying world around them and wondered if it was too early to go back to the city with Aden. Although, having worked through the night, she wasn't entirely sure they would be safe to drive back. Exhaustion could most definitely be a killer.

"Listen, Jo…" Charlie tried.

She broke off when she saw Brax's car pull up. He climbed out of the vehicle quickly and then opened the back door. From there, he guided Darcy out and held her hand. Spotting her quickly, Brax hurried over.

"Charlie!" he said. "Where's Tegan? I found Darcy wandering through the woods by herself…"

Charlie nodded silently towards where Tegan was being extracted from her car, a broken, bloody mess.

"Oh my…" Brax managed.

Joey studied the way Charlie watched him. It didn't take a genius to work out that he was her latest man candy. She looked him up and down, supposing he was good looking if you liked that kind of thing. Excessively tattooed and a mildly handsome face, she thought that he was at least better looking than both the man Charlie had cheated on her with and the one she had replaced her with so soon after their breakup, although not by much.

"Can you…?" Brax said, nudging Darcy towards Charlie.

She nodded and caught hold of the little girl's hand as Brax rushed forward to check on his ex-girlfriend.

"That's him, I take it," Joey remarked.

Charlie looked instantly guilty.

"Yes," she said.

Joey nodded. She clenched her fists, suddenly hating her ex-girlfriend for how easy it seemed to be for her to move on. It seemed unlikely that Charlie even remembered her or their relationship anymore. And yet, despite her own insistence, Joey had never quite managed to move on.

"Hot," Joey said. "Can you get a lift back to wherever you need to go? I really have to be getting back to Aden and then go home."

Charlie opened her mouth to object but no words came out. Taking it as permission to leave, Joey headed back to the ambulance. With her heart in her mouth, Charlie watched her leave. The whole thing seemed like some sort of surreal dream. She couldn't believe she had actually come face to face with Joey again and she couldn't believe she was letting her go without even having a proper conversation.

"Watson!" Charlie yelled.

Her colleague had made her way over the crash site as soon as Heath and Bianca had been freed. She'd been quick to inform them that they were both fine with no long term damage, although they were both shaken up after having a roof fall on them.

"What's up, Boss?" Watson said.

"I need you to look after Darcy," Charlie said.

Apologetically, she nudged the girl in her friend's direction. Then, without another word, she broke into a run down the street. Watson and Brax both watched her go.

* * *

><p>Joey had the radio on rather loudly as she drove back towards the school where she was hoping to collect Aden and then be on her way. Exhausted or not, she had to get out of Summer Bay as soon as possible. Nothing good ever came from this place.<p>

"What the…?" she mumbled in disbelief as she caught sight of a police officer running towards her in her wing mirrors.

Furrowing her brow, she sighed. There was no mistaking that it was Charlie.

"Now what am I meant to do?" Joey muttered.

Had there been a problem with Tegan? Did she need help somehow? Or was it personal? Sighing heavily, Joey gripped the steering wheel. She couldn't help but be rather impressed at how quick Charlie was. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth as she recalled all their former running competitions along the beach, back when life hadn't seemed quite so complicated. Then she pictured finding Charlie's earring in disgusting Hugo Austin's house and having her betrayal confirmed. She pressed the accelerator.

* * *

><p>Charlie felt like her lungs were about to explode as she tried desperately to catch up with the retreating ambulance. There was no way she could let Joey disappear, perhaps never to be seen in the Bay again, without at least attempting to talk to her. She had practised so many times exactly what she would say to her ex-girlfriend if she was given the chance. She still thought of her so much that she renewed her apologies and explanations with every bad decision she made. She knew the chances of Joey ever forgiving her for what she had done was minimal but she also knew she had to try.<p>

"Joey!" she cried, gasping for breath.

Dizzy with lack of oxygen, Charlie's head spun. She stumbled and then tumbled off the side of the road.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey tries to save Charlie's life…<em>


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Joey slammed on the brakes with such panic that she stalled the vehicle. Barely pausing to take it out of gear or even to take the keys out of the ignition, she burst from the ambulance and raced down the road to where Charlie had fallen. Her heart pounded in her chest as she hurried closer. It was a sheer drop off the side of the road. She felt sick at the thought that she might have fallen all the way down. What if she was dead? What if it was all Joey's fault?

"Charlie!" she yelled urgently, skidding onto her knees when she saw her ex-girlfriend's hand, clinging onto a broken tree root at the side of the road.

Her body was pressed against the slightly slanting but mostly vertical edge of the cliff beneath her.

"Charlie, take my hand," Joey begged.

The police officer had lost her hat and any sense of dignity. Joey's heart broke at just how terrified she looked.

"I can't!" Charlie said, her voice breaking. "If I let go…"

"You just have to let go with one hand, Charlie," Joey said gently. "And I'll be right here to hold you. I swear."

Charlie hesitated. She knew she had to do something. Her arms were aching and she certainly couldn't hang off the edge of a cliff forever. For a heart stopping moment, she considered just letting go. What was there to live for, really? She had a constantly fractured relationship with her daughter. She'd lost Joey, the love of her life. She'd screwed up her relationship with Angelo. And worse than that, she had lived with him in misery for far too long. And now she was engaged, at least on and off, in a dangerous and ill-advised relationship with Brax, a notorious River Boy. He was enough to ruin her whole career. And while he professed to care about her, he'd jumped into bed with Tegan the first chance he got.

"Charlie, stay with me," Joey said, sensing that she had drifted off into her own little world.

Charlie forced herself to focus. _My father did not raise me to be a quitter_, she reminded herself.

"Okay," she managed. "Please… please don't let me go."

"I won't," Joey promised.

She tried not to let her panic, or any of the other emotions charging around inside her, show. If she let go of Charlie then she'd want to throw herself off the cliff as well. She glanced around but nobody at the crash site was there anymore. Everyone must have gone off in the other direction already.

"Ready?" she said.

Charlie nodded and shakily released the tree root with her right hand. She landed clumsily in Joey's palm. Joey just hoped that she had gauged the situation right and that she really could pull her up.

"Okay, you need to try and climb up," Joey said. "I'll pull if you'll push. But we have to work together on this."

"Okay," Charlie said weakly.

Joey was all too aware of the wet grass beneath her. That certainly wasn't going to make the situation easy. She took a deep breath and braced herself to pull.

"Come on…" she begged, pulling Charlie's one hand with both of hers, kneeling on the ground and trying to overcome gravity.

For her part, Charlie scrambled clumsily, trying to use the cliff face to help her up.

"Yes!" Joey breathed when she landed flat on her back with Charlie sprawled on top of her.

Relief flooded her whole body as she lay on the ground, looking into Charlie's familiar blue eyes. The two women stared at each other. They could feel each other's hearts pounding in their chests as their bodies pressed together.

"Thank you," Charlie whispered.

"Well, I owed you," Joey remarked.

She didn't think she would ever forget the day when Charlie had saved her life when Robbo had tried to drown her in the bath of her hotel room. They smiled anxiously at each other. Joey was trembling against her will and she and Charlie were both shocked when tears dripped onto her face.

"Sorry," Charlie said.

She too began to tremble as the realisation of what could have just happened hit her hard. She moved to try and stand up, hoping that her legs would hold her. Joey stopped her, cupping her cheek and stroking her skin gently with her thumb. She carefully hooked her hand around the back of Charlie's head and pulled her in for a kiss.

Charlie's heart hammered out of control as she felt Joey's warm, gentle lips against hers. It felt like she had been starved of oxygen all this time and finally, she could breathe again. She couldn't help but marvel over the fact that something she had lived without for so long, still felt so familiar. She moaned as their kiss intensified. Joey ran her hands through Charlie's long, dark hair as she pulled her closer.

Charlie felt a shiver go through her as she felt Joey's tongue tentatively touch her lips. Immediately opening up, Charlie welcomed her inside. She had never thought she would be so grateful for a near death experience. But if this is what it took to be close to Joey, then she was all for it.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie attempts to explain herself to Joey…<em>


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"We should um… get you to the hospital," Joey said when they parted.

"I feel fine," Charlie assured her, leaning in for another kiss

Lying at the edge of the road, on top of Joey and in her arms felt like the exact right place, the place she was meant to be.

Joey permitted the kiss, overwhelmed by the love and lust that surged within her. She wanted to object. She wanted to push Charlie away and announce that she hated her. But she couldn't. They kissed for a long time.

* * *

><p>"Okay, we really have to stop," Joey managed eventually.<p>

She smiled and Charlie reluctantly released her. Sitting side by side, both women felt suddenly shy and awkward.

"You should get checked out at the hospital," Joey ventured. "I can take you."

"I'm not injured," Charlie said.

"Better safe than sorry," Joey insisted.

Willing to do pretty much anything she wanted, Charlie agreed and they headed to the ambulance together.

"So, um… how long will you be sticking around?" Charlie ventured when they were on their way.

"I'm hoping to be off again today," Joey told her, keeping her eyes focussed on the road.

Charlie studied her profile, trying to read her. Once upon a time, Joey had kept her heart firmly on her sleeve. She was open about her feelings and you could read her emotions through her eyes. But she seemed so guarded now and Charlie hated to think that it was her fault. Somewhere along the way, the light in Joey's eyes had died. Charlie hoped that, whether she was around or not, it would reignite one day soon.

"You don't want to spend time with anyone or…?"

"I have nobody to spend time with," Joey said shortly.

"Well, I know Ruby would love to see you…"

Joey shrugged.

"And I'd love to be able to…"

"Charlie, I'm not sticking around," Joey said tiredly.

"But there are so many things we need to talk about," Charlie tried.

"Like what, exactly?" Joey asked. "About how you forgot me the moment I left and hooked up with the first criminal you could find?"

"Brax and I…"

Charlie trailed off, realising that Joey wasn't talking about him.

"Ah, so Mr Tattoo is a criminal too, hey?" the paramedic remarked. "Is that why you're a cop? Bad boys turn you on?"

"No…" Charlie sighed.

"So, what else do you want to talk about?" Joey asked. "If not that prick, Angelo or this Brax guy… what about all the other guys you've screwed in the last two years."

"I haven't…"

"I don't care," Joey told her.

"You sure seemed like you cared when you kissed me," Charlie said rather sulkily.

Joey glanced at her and then returned her eyes to the road.

"That was a mistake," she said.

"You must at least have some residual feelings for me…" Charlie mumbled.

"Do you really want to know the kind of residual feelings I have for you?" Joey asked.

"I want to know everything you want to tell me," Charlie said. "I want to know how you've been. When did you meet Aden again? When did you become a paramedic? Have you got a girlfriend...?"

"I know it's an alien concept to you, Charlie but I'd never kiss someone else if I was in a relationship," Joey said bitterly.

Charlie sighed heavily.

"You cheated on me by sleeping with Hugo, you got together with Angelo when he still had a girlfriend… And now you're seeing some guy and you just kissed me. Tell me, was there an overlap between Angelo and Brax? Is that just the way you roll?"

"You make me sound like a terrible person," Charlie said.

"If the cap fits," Joey remarked.

"Look, stop the ambulance," Charlie finally snapped. "I'll walk to the damn hospital."

Joey looked concerned but didn't stop driving.

"Joey, stop," Charlie begged. "I ran down the road and fell off a cliff to try and talk to you. You saved my life and then you kissed me and now you're being nothing but hostile. If this is all there is between us now then I want to leave."

Joey stopped the ambulance, mumbling that it was just like her to bail. Charlie paused in opening the door.

"For your information, sleeping with Hugo behind your back was the single worst mistake I've ever made and if Aden really has updated you so sufficiently, then you'll know exactly how long my list of regrets is," Charlie said. "I've never forgiven myself for it and I've spent pretty much every day since you left, wishing I could have another chance with you. I did _not_ encourage Angelo to cheat – that was his look out. And for the record, I stopped seeing Brax weeks ago. I realised how much he'd lied to me and how deeply he was involved in criminal activity and I broke up with him. I wavered for a bit and considered getting back with him but he'd hopped into bed with Tegan, the girl we just rescued. I found them in a hotel room. Call it karma if you like."

"I will," Joey said.

Charlie gazed longingly and full of hurt before opening the door.

"Okay, wait," Joey said when it looked like Charlie was really going to leave. "At least let me drive you as far as the hospital. Our last goodbye was tragic enough without having this one be me ditching you on the side of the road."

Charlie sighed and settled back into her seat.

"I'm sorry for being hostile," Joey said earnestly.

She killed the engine and turned to face Charlie, for the first time, really allowing herself to take in just how beautiful she was. Her heart broke a little bit more.

"I really meant it when I said I'd come back in three months," she explained. "So when I checked in with Aden a couple of months later and I found out you were sleeping with Angelo, something inside of me died. And I've never been able to revive it since."

"I'm sorry," Charlie said softly. "It really wasn't…"

"It doesn't matter what it was," Joey said. "I was obviously just a passing thing for you and you never wanted our relationship to be long term."

"I did!" Charlie protested. "I still do."

"Then why didn't you wait for me?" Joey asked, her voice breaking a little. "I know you said three months was forever but I wasn't expecting you to take it quite so literally."

She managed a smile. Charlie smiled weakly back at her.

"I didn't think you were coming home," she said sadly. "I didn't think someone as incredible as you would want to come back to me once you'd been set free. I didn't think I was going to see you again. You didn't get in touch with me. I heard nothing from you. I was lonely and in pain and so was Angelo and it just… happened. But I can assure you now that had you come home, I wouldn't have wasted a second in doing whatever it took to be with you again, Joey. I still love you so much."

"What about this Brax guy?" Joey asked. "And what kind of stupid name is that anyway?"

Charlie chuckled.

"His name is Darryl Braxton," she explained. "Brax is a nickname."

Joey nodded thoughtfully.

"I have strong feelings for him," Charlie admitted. "It's not something I can explain and it's not something I even want. Ironically, he treats me better than Angelo ever did. But the thing is, nobody's ever going to compare to you."

Joey chewed her lip.

"How, um… how have you been?" Charlie asked when silence descended on the ambulance.

"I've been good," Joey said. "I share a flat with Aden and we get on like a house on fire. I stayed on the trawlers for quite a while and then, last year, Aden called me on his way out of Summer Bay. We arranged to meet up and the rest is history, I guess."

"And you're _not _seeing anyone?" Charlie clarified.

"I don't do relationships anymore," Joey told her.

Charlie looked confused.

"Since you, I've never been with anyone that's lasted more than a few hours," Joey explained.

She registered the shock on Charlie's face. It only went to prove how much she had changed, which in turn only proved how damaged she was.

"How come?" Charlie asked meekly.

"Because if my heart breaks again it'll be for good," Joey told her.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Tegan dies and Charlie struggles to say goodbye to Joey…<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_So sorry that this update is late. I have been trying to put it on since about nine o'clock this morning but the website hasn't been co-operating. I hope you like the chapter now it's here! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Where on earth have you been?" Aden asked when he found Joey hanging around the hospital waiting room.

"Don't ask," she replied. "Can we go home now?"

He chuckled at how desperate she looked.

"Not yet," he said.

"Why not?" Joey whined. "The storm's over. The sun's shining and everything! Look!"

She whirled around and then realised there was no window to prove her point.

"I spoke to base," he said. "They told us we have to book into a hotel, sleep and then come back this afternoon."

"I don't want to sleep," Joey protested. "I just want to go home."

She glanced at the row of chairs across the room where Brax, Charlie's boyfriend was seated with another tattooed man and the little girl she'd seen earlier. Presumably, they were waiting for news on Tegan. Joey hoped she was alright.

"Can't break the rules, Jo," Aden said. "And besides, you might not be tired but I'm exhausted. Picking up rubble is tiring business."

"Fine," Joey sighed. "Let's get out of here at least."

She paused when she saw Charlie exit a cubicle, having been checked over by the Doctor. The police officer paused, caught between Joey and Brax.

Charlie swallowed uncertainly, not entirely sure what her next move should be.

"Any news on Tegan?" she asked Brax, the person she was standing closest to.

He shook his head, looking utterly depressed. She hesitated for a moment before approaching Joey and Aden.

"Did the Doctor give you the all clear?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "Just a few scratches. Nothing big."

Joey nodded. Awkward silence fell between them. Aden glanced between the two women.

"What happened?" he finally asked. "How did you get hurt?"

"I fell off the edge of the road," Charlie admitted. "Joey saved me."

She grinned and he shook his head.

"I don't think I'm even going to ask," he decided.

"Best not," Charlie and Joey said in unison.

They managed a smile at each other, laughing softly.

"So… um… what are you guys doing now?" Charlie asked.

"We're sleeping and then we're heading back to the city," Joey said.

"Work has booked us into The Sands," Aden added.

Joey glared at him. Charlie didn't need any more information about them than was necessary. However, she chose to let it go.

"Do you think you'll be back any time soon?" Charlie wondered.

She was desperate for some kind of opportunity to see Joey again. There still seemed like there was so much left to say.

"If there's another emergency, sure," Joey said. "Other than that, no."

Charlie sighed heavily. Joey clearly didn't want to spend any more time with her than she had to.

"Listen, I'm just going to wait outside," Aden said delicately. "But Charlie, it was really good to see you again."

She smiled and nodded as he patted her arm and began to walk away.

"And um… if you do ever happen to speak to Nicole or anything, tell her… just um… well say that I'm happy for her," he said, heading back out of the hospital.

Alone, Charlie and Joey stared at each other, unaware of the interest Brax was observing them with.

"So um…" Charlie started.

"I guess this is goodbye," Joey said.

Her voice caught on the last word and she was alarmed at how hard it was to leave.

"I wish I could spend more time with you," Charlie admitted.

"Well, your boyfriend would probably be pissed so…" Joey said.

She nodded towards Brax who looked away quickly and started speaking to his brother.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore," Charlie said. "We broke up ages ago. I told you…"

Joey shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "I guess you and I just live different lives now. Really, we always did. Let's face it, it was never going to work out between us. I should have left the first time I wanted to. We shouldn't have even tried."

Her voice was etched with a sadness that destroyed Charlie deep down inside.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked weakly.

Joey was about to confirm it but she caught Charlie's expression and crumbled.

"No," she admitted. "Well, my head thinks that. But my heart's never quite beat in time with it. I hate myself for it but I know that even if I'd been aware of how it was going to turn out, I wouldn't have stopped myself from falling in love with you."

She sighed heavily. Charlie felt her eyes becoming moist.

"Well, maybe we could…" she started.

Joey and Charlie both turned at the sound of upset voices nearby. They watched as Sid broke the news to Brax and Heath that Tegan hadn't made it. Charlie felt a lump ache in her throat. She may not have liked the woman but she'd spent hours comforting her and trying to save her. She was devastated that she hadn't pulled through. Turning back to Joey, she was even more upset to realise that she had gone.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey confesses to Aden that she and Charlie kissed…<em>


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Is there anything I can do?" Charlie asked quietly.

Heath had sunk back into his chair, still sore from being crushed under the rubble at the school. He buried his face against his palms and tried not to show weakness and cry in front of anybody. He put his arm around Darcy, wondering how on earth he was going to step up as a father now that her mother was gone.

"No," Brax said numbly.

He looked at Heath and Darcy and shook his head.

"I don't think there's anything anyone can do," he said.

Charlie nodded, deciding she shouldn't try to be a part of family grieving.

"Take care," she said quietly.

* * *

><p>"I am so tired," Aden complained, yawning in the passenger seat of the ambulance.<p>

"You know, it would be a lot nicer to just get home and sleep in our own beds…" Joey tried.

Aden shook his head.

"I need to sleep _now_," he said anxiously. "Plus, you know base will be pissed if we don't follow orders."

Joey merely grumbled to herself and drove towards The Sands. The sun was high in the sky now, flooding light on the damaged town of Summer Bay. Around them, locals – some of whom they recognised and some they didn't – were piling out of buildings and attempting to clean up.

"Do you think we should help?" Aden wondered, feeling guilty for just driving through the rubble and not bothering to stop.

"I thought you were exhausted," Joey reminded him.

He yawned again.

"I am," he said. "But I doubt any of these people got any sleep either and they're all helping with the clean-up effort."

"It's _their_ town," Joey pointed out.

Aden looked suddenly serious.

"It was _our _town once upon a time," he said softly but seriously. "I mean, aren't there people you want to check on or…"

Joey sighed, thinking of her brother. She didn't keep in touch with him anymore, not since she had contacted him two years ago to say that she would never be coming home.

"I guess," she admitted glumly.

"Well, how about we do that?" Aden suggested. "Then we can help with some of the clean-up. Then we can sleep and then we can go home."

"I just want to go, Ade…" Joey said, startling herself by allowing tears to escape her eyes.

"Jo…" Aden said in alarm.

He gestured for her to pull over and for once, she obeyed orders, killing the engine and falling into his arms.

"Was it that bad coming back here?" he wondered.

Joey drew away and rubbed her eyes.

"I feel like I've done all this work to forget Charlie and pretend I don't care anymore," she ventured. "Then one look at her and I'm a mess. I thought she was going to die on the side of that road and I thought I was going to die with her. I'm so confused."

"Talk me through it," Aden requested.

Joey sighed and fiddled with her fingers.

"I kissed her," she admitted.

Aden tried not to look too excited. For a long time, he had wondered if Charlie might be the only person that could heal the heart Joey refused to accept was broken.

"Really?" he said.

Joey nodded.

"And…?"

"And it was incredible!" Joey half laughed. "In all this time, there is still nobody who can kiss like that woman. But… that's pathetic, isn't it?"

"It's understandable," Aden corrected her. "You two have still got so much stuff that's unfinished. Of course things were going to be intense when you saw each other again. You can hardly forget what you had just like that."

Joey nodded but didn't feel comforted.

"I feel like such a fool," she said. "She's spent the last two years screwing around with all these criminals. She's sleeping with that Brax guy and then there was Angelo. And who knows who else? She's clearly moved on and yet such a big part of me wants to believe her when she says she's missed me."

"Well, you haven't exactly been a nun, Jo…" Aden said.

He froze when she glared at him.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, anger overtaking sadness.

"What I mean is that you've been jumping in and out of bed with lots of girls," Aden tried to explain. "And yet you've missed her all the time, haven't you?"

Joey nodded.

"Well, maybe Charlie's been going through the same thing?" Aden suggested.

"Maybe," Joey sighed.

She plastered a smile on her face.

"Look, I can't be bothered with all of this melancholy stuff," she said decisively. "Let's go and be useful."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie turns to Ruby about Joey…<em>


	15. Chapter 15

_This will be my last update until at least the 16__th__ February so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you to everyone for your well wishes. I am so excited about this holiday! I hope you all have a good few weeks and I look forward to coming back to you soon. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifteen**

Charlie and Ruby sat at home together, both feeling utterly miserable. Ruby was heartbroken over Casey breaking up with her. She thought near death experiences and disasters like they had been through the night before were meant to make people realise how much they meant to each other. They were supposed to draw them closer, not push them further apart.

For her part, Charlie was feeling sad about Tegan and confused about Joey and Brax.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked her daughter.

It was absurd to most people that a mother would ask her child for romantic advice but then, she supposed, she and Ruby didn't exactly have a conventional relationship. Mostly, she was just relieved to have a relationship with her at all.

"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "What do you _want _to do?"

Charlie sighed heavily. She wanted to go back in time, not sleep with Hugo and have spent the last two and a bit years in a solid, happy relationship with Joey. But unfortunately, miracles were in short supply.

"Okay," Ruby tried. "How do you feel about Brax?"

"I don't know," Charlie shrugged. "I mean, there's something between us. And it's not just the bad boy thing. To be honest, that turns me _off _more than anything else. I know not everybody sees it but he's so sweet, Ruby. He's kind and funny and gentle. He's the first guy I've ever really enjoyed… you know, being with."

Ruby pulled a face but recovered quickly from the imagery.

"You didn't enjoy 'being with' Angelo?" she queried.

Charlie shrugged and mumbled that it was okay. Ruby waited for more of an explanation.

"Angelo was a nice enough guy," Charlie ventured.

Even _she _was finding the conversation weird now. But with one of her best friends being in the hospital after a near miscarriage and her other best friend recovering from shock at home after having a roof cave in on her, Ruby was really the only person she could open up to.

"But there wasn't that same passion there," she said. "And in every part of our lives, including… private time… everything was about him. I don't think he meant to be but he was so damn selfish. Everything was about what he wanted, what he needed. I guess that's one of the many reason we broke up. I couldn't handle feeling so overlooked and ignored all the time. I couldn't handle having to massage his ego every day. I couldn't handle doing all those things for a guy I wasn't in love with."

"I can't say I ever completely understood why you guys split," Ruby admitted. "I thought you _were _in love with him."

"I wanted to be," Charlie said. "But in the end, it wasn't enough. And both of us realised it."

"And are you in love with Brax?" Ruby questioned.

Charlie hesitated.

"I don't know," she said. "For a while there, I really thought I was. We had such a good time together and I missed him when he wasn't around. I thought about him all the time and…"

She trailed off, shaking her head.

"I even told him I loved him," she confessed. "And he said it back. But then he just kept on lying to me about _everything_. How can you love someone who treats you like that?"

"Sometimes you can't help it," Ruby frowned, thinking of Casey.

She knew with an uncomfortable level of certainty that he could be as horrible to her as he liked and she would always keep coming back for more.

"I don't know," Charlie said. "I guess there are no easy answers with any of this."

"What about Joey?" Ruby asked.

"What about her?"

"Do you love her?"

"With all my heart," Charlie admitted.

"Well, there's one easy answer," Ruby pointed out.

"It would be easy if she loved me too but…"

She sighed heavily.

"Don't you think that she's being so hostile because she loves you and you hurt her so badly?"

Charlie shook her head.

"No," she said. "I think she's being so hostile because she hates me and never wants to see me again. Why she kissed me, I have no idea."

"Woah!" Ruby bellowed, making Charlie jump. "She _kissed _you?"

Charlie nodded hesitantly.

"And you didn't think to mention this at all?"

"I think it was just closure or something," Charlie replied glumly. "I certainly don't think it meant more than that."

"What if it did?" Ruby asked.

Charlie looked confused.

"Charlie, she's about to leave town, isn't she?"

"Yes…"

"You screwed up and lost her before," Ruby said, trying and failing to be delicate about her. "Even with Brax in the equation, if she turned around and told you she'd give you another chance, would you take it?"

"Of course I would," Charlie said. "She's the love of my life. Even if I _am _in love with Brax, she's always going to be 'the one'. Everything about her was so perfect, Rubes."

"Then why don't you actually go and fight for her this time?" Ruby suggested.

Charlie shook her head.

"I can't…"

"Of course you can," Ruby insisted. "You go and find her, you tell her how you feel and you beg for another chance to make things work. If she says no, at least you've tried. And if she says yes, that's great, right? It's what you've always wanted."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, chewing her lip. She pictured Joey's kiss and just the thought of it made her heart race.

"You're right," she decided. "You're absolutely right."

Wasting no time, she leapt out of her chair and ran for the door.

"Now, if only I could only solve my own problems…" Ruby mused.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey and Aden break up a fight, Charlie ignores Brax's warnings about Hammer and goes to visit Joey in her hotel…<em>


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Charlie's picked a real Prince yet again, hasn't she?" Joey remarked.

They'd parked the ambulance rather conspicuously outside The Sands Hotel and were walking up to the reception desk.

"Yep," Aden said grimly. "She peaked with you and then she's clearly had lousy taste in partners since then."

Joey paused and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you liked Angelo," she mocked. "I thought he was 'a good guy really'."

She pulled a face.

"He's nothing compared to you," Aden said evenly, choosing not to mention that he was smarting a little from him running off with Nicole and raising a baby with her.

"You bet he's not," Joey mumbled indignantly.

Aden hesitated outside the hotel, looking up at the entrance.

"I have to say, I never thought I'd be staying in a hotel that fired me," he remarked.

Joey chuckled.

"Ugh, he's such a pig!" she complained immediately.

Aden sighed as Joey's ranting returned to Brax. During the clean-up operation they had encountered Brax attacking some guy called Hammer and threatening to kill him. His brother, one of the people that he been caught up in the school roof collapse, had helped Aden pull them apart. Then, still angry, Brax had demanded to know what Joey's relationship was and why things had been so obviously intense between them at the hospital. Joey had avoided the question and dragged Aden to the hotel. They had had enough good deeds for one day.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I'll see you in a few hours," Aden said, letting himself into his room.<p>

Joey nodded and let herself in next door. The moment she saw the bed, she suddenly realised how tired she was. On the back of a ten hour shift, she had driven to a town where she had far too many demons to face. She'd worked through the night to stop a friend having a miscarriage, rescue some teenager from getting killed on the beach, take a man to hospital with a ruptured spleen, help to dig two people out of the rubble of a caved in roof, fail to save the life of a woman in a car crash and then stop her ex-girlfriend falling over the edge of a cliff. Even for Joey, who worked day in and day out as a paramedic in the city, it had been heavy. She flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes, wishing she could sleep forever, or perhaps just wake up at home in bed and forget that the last few hours hadn't happened.

* * *

><p>"Charlie!" Brax called urgently.<p>

The police officer had been driving along the coast road in order to try and find Joey at The Sands Resort Hotel. She hesitated for a moment. Somehow it didn't seem appropriate to stop and chat with one lover on her way to find another. She pulled over anyway and wound the window the whole way down.

"What's up?" she asked.

"You need to get out of town," Brax said urgently, resting two hands on the window and staring intently into her eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"It's not safe for you here, Charlie," he insisted. "You have to go someplace safe for a while."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied.

"Tegan told Jake that you and I are an item," he explained.

"But we're not," she said quickly.

He looked pained and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "We _were _together and Tegan's told him how I feel about you."

He hesitated, willing her to ask how he _did _feel about her. She refused. Now was not the time for this conversation.

"I just saw him," Brax continued. "He threatened to kill you."

"I can look after myself," Charlie said rather curtly.

He growled in sheer frustration.

"Listen to what I'm telling you!" he begged. "This isn't a game anymore, Charlie."

Charlie raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, so it was a game before, was it?" she asked. "Nice to know."

"Fine!" he snapped, thumping on the door in frustration. "Do whatever the hell you like but I'm not my fault if you get killed. I've washed my hands off the whole thing."

With that, he stormed away.

* * *

><p>Joey groaned and murmured something that might have resembled 'go away' when she heard someone knock at her door. She rolled over and buried her head in the pillow. The knocking continued. Grumpily, Joey sat and threw the pillow at the door and then flopped back on the bed.<p>

"Joey?" said a voice through the door.

She was too sleepy to be able to make out who it was. Even more grumpily, she hauled herself out of bed and threw the door open.

"Aden, what the hell…?"

She trailed off when she saw Charlie standing right there in front of her. For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming. Without a word, Charlie leant in and kissed her.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey give into their feelings…<em>


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Charlie, what are you…?" Joey managed between kisses.

"I love you," Charlie said sincerely.

She'd backed Joey into the room ever so slightly, wrapping her arms around her.

"I love you so much," she said. "And I hate to think that you'll be leaving today and I'll never see you again."

Joey hesitated. She tried and failed to tear herself away from Charlie's beautiful, blue eyes and cursed the hypnotising effect she had on her.

"Charlie…"

"Do you still have feelings for me?" the police officer asked seriously.

Joey wanted to say no but it wasn't in her nature to lie. Struggling to form words, she nodded.

"Then don't we owe it to ourselves to be happy?"

Joey closed her eyes, relishing the firm way Charlie was holding her.

"What about that prick you've hooked up with?" she asked.

"It's over," Charlie assured her.

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

"I won't lie and say no," the Sergeant replied, not wanting to be dishonest in any way. "But what I can honestly say is that whatever feelings I've had for anyone else… they pale in comparison to what I feel for you."

Joey swallowed, captivated again by the look of longing on Charlie's face.

"I really don't do the relationships anymore…" she said.

Charlie kissed her.

"We can work everything out if we just try," she insisting.

"I'm not… I'm not changing my life for…"

Charlie interrupted her with an urgent kiss that took her breath away. They stumbled backwards, kicking the door to but not completely shut and tumbled onto the bed. Forgetting all her reservations and the pain of the past, Joey gave herself to Charlie completely.

Kissing passionately, Charlie and Joey both fought for control. Joey felt her hands run all over Charlie's back, pulling her closer and tugging at her hair. Charlie shifted to suck not as gently as she should on Joey's neck. Joey closed her eyes, savouring every sensation charging through her and not caring that she would probably have marks to show for her afternoon. She let Charlie's hands glide over her breasts, squeezing as gently as she could in her state of fervent passion.

Joey kissed Charlie's lips and then surprised her by flipping them over. Straddling Charlie's hips, she whipped her t-shirt off, revealing that she hadn't been wearing a bra in bed. Charlie sat up and immediately closed her mouth over one of Joey's nipples, letting her fingers play with the other. Joey fought with Charlie's t-shirt and unclasped her bra in one, quick move.

Charlie couldn't help but marvel at how different she was. Back when they had been together the first time, in this very hotel, Joey had been a shy and gentle lover. The passion had always been there but not quite like this.

She breathed heavily as Joey took control, guiding her back to lie on the bed. Joey kissed her mouth and then trailed her lips along her jaw, down her neck and to her collarbone. She took a moment to gaze at her, taking in just how beautiful she was. She felt love surge in her heart but willed sheer lust to overwhelm it.

Reaching down, she toyed with Charlie's breasts, stroking them and enjoying the way her body so quickly responded to her touch. Lowering her mouth, she kissed one and then the other, granting her tongue the opportunity to play. Charlie moaned loudly and involuntarily opened her legs as she relished the feel of Joey's mouth on her. This was the way they had always been meant to be. This was perfection.

Encouraged by the way Charlie writhed and moaned beneath her, Joey changed position, slipping off the end of the bed so that she could remove both of Charlie's shoes and socks. Then she leant forward and undid Charlie's shorts, ungraciously removing her underwear with them.

Charlie felt momentarily vulnerable as she lay, completely naked on the hotel bed. She looked at Joey through hooded lids and smiled as she saw the lust in her former lover's eyes. Joey moved forward again, laying herself carefully atop Charlie.

"I didn't think it was possible but you're even more beautiful than you were two years ago," she murmured.

Charlie blushed at the compliment. She ran her hands through Joey's luscious, dark hair and pulled her in for another kiss.

"I love you so much," she breathed. "I don't know how I lived without you…"

Joey hesitated for a moment. It had been a long time since she had been forced to deal with feelings in this kind of situation. She'd become used to enjoying the moment and making a hasty exit. It wasn't a life she had expected for herself but, unable to cope with her broken heart, it had become her only method of survival.

"Let's just think about now," she requested gently.

She kissed her way back down Charlie's body. She paid close attention to her breasts and kissed her tummy, taking in the way her breathing was so laboured. Shifting further down, she settled between Charlie's legs. She could almost see the way Charlie ached for her. It was a powerful, lust fuelling feeling.

Lowering her head, she ran her tongue up first one thigh and then another. She kissed her centre briefly but it was enough to make Charlie arch her back, begging for more. Making herself comfortable, Joey glanced up at Charlie. Her head was on the one remaining pillow and she looked up at the ceiling in anticipation. Her breathing remained ragged as she longed for Joey's touch.

Delicately, suddenly keen to take her time, Joey stroked her with one digit, delighted to find her so wet and warm. Her every touch was fleeting as she very gently began to explore. Charlie parted her legs a little wider, eager to invite Joey to play. Joey stroked her clitoris with her index finger and then with her tongue.

"Oh!" Charlie gasped, ready to explode if only Joey would stop teasing her.

She looked down and caught her smirking.

"You're torturing me," she whimpered.

Joey moved so that she was face to face with Charlie, slipping her thigh between her legs. Charlie was suddenly desperately grateful that Joey had only been wearing a t-shirt and pants to bed. With the t-shirt removed, there was only one item of clothing left and being underwear, it left her thigh delightfully bare. Joey pressed into her and Charlie fought the urge not to grind against her leg.

"It's been two years, Charlie," Joey purred. "Am I not allowed to take my time?"

"We could… we could be quick and then… then we could be slow," Charlie suggested a little shyly.

A teasing smile graced Joey's lips, contemplating the idea.

"Nah," she decided. "I think I'll go slow until you give me a reason to speed up."

Charlie looked almost pained and Joey kissed her way back down her body, finishing with gentle kisses on her throbbing centre.

"Joey!" Charlie cried out as Joey deliberately took her time.

She traced her tongue over every fold, as light as a feather. It was nice to pretend that she was in complete control when really, her heart was pounding as she savoured and memorised every sight, smell and taste of Charlie's body.

"Jo…" Charlie cried again.

Deciding that she'd endured enough, Joey became more forthright. She thrust her tongue deep inside her, stimulating her from the inside. Charlie cried out, loud and unintelligible as Joey ran her tongue firmly over every contour she could find. She stroked her entrance, her lips and then her clitoris, building momentum and enjoying the way Charlie gasped and moved beneath her.

When it looked like she was on the edge, Joey withdrew. Charlie squeaked in disappointment but had no time to complain when Joey thrust two fingers, firmly but carefully inside her. Charlie's moans of pleasure grew as Joey penetrated her with her fingers and continued her oral assault on the one part of the human body that was built solely for pleasure.

Charlie called Joey's name at the top of her lungs as she reached climax. Joey kept working until she had just about managed to come back down. Then she kissed her way back up her body, to her mouth. Lying on top of her, she gazed into Charlie's eyes, a little startled by the depth of feeling she saw there.

Charlie ran her hands through Joey's hair again, pulling her in for another kiss.

"That was amazing," she gasped, her breath still shallow and her head a little dizzy.

Joey smiled affectionately at her.

"I aim to please," she said.

"Then you achieved your target," Charlie assured her. "That was so… so…"

She blushed, not quite able to find the words.

"I love you," she said again.

Joey gazed at her longingly. A deep sense of regret hit her hard and for several moments, she found herself wishing desperately that everything had turned out differently. Her mind flitted back to the time she and Charlie had actually been in a relationship. She had been so naïve then. She'd genuinely dreamed of a happy future where they would make mad, passionate love every day, perhaps have a family, buy a house together and live happily ever after. She wished with all her heart that Charlie had been strong enough to keep her, that she hadn't betrayed her in such an awful way at such an awful time. She wished wholeheartedly that things had turned out the way she'd wanted them to.

"Please can I show you how much?" Charlie asked.

Joey smiled and kissed her again before rolling onto her back, more than happy to succumb to Charlie's every whim.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie realises that she and Joey aren't in the same emotional place…<em>


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Charlie's approach to lovemaking had been gentle and tender. Joey lay, gasping in bed as her body hurtled towards orgasm. The physical sensations combined with a feeling of being completely loved, left her breathless. She closed her eyes as she tried to calm down. Her whole body was still tingling when Charlie started all over again.

Lying back on the bed without a stitch on, Joey's eyes shot open as she felt Charlie's lips and tongue begin to work on her again. She parted her legs wider, welcoming Charlie in. She never wanted this moment to end.

Between Joey's thighs, Charlie felt like she was receiving as much pleasure as she was giving. She loved the noises she was eliciting from Joey's mouth. She loved that after so long and after so much had happened, they could still mean so much to each other. She flicked her tongue over her clitoris again and again, exploring gently but with intention.

It wasn't long before Joey reached orgasm again. Charlie smiled against her as she cried out with sheer joy. Without even waiting for her to recover, she started again, rolling her second orgasm of the afternoon into a third, then a fourth and then a fifth.

* * *

><p>Dizzy, breathless and with an aching jaw, Charlie finally accepted defeat. And it was the best defeat in the world. She crawled back up Joey's body and snuggled into her embrace. Joey was still gasping, completely overwhelmed.<p>

"That was…" she struggled. "That was… that was… wow."

She blushed and grinned, kissing the top of Charlie's head.

"Wow," she said again.

"I'm glad," Charlie whispered. "I'm glad to be able to make you happy like that."

Joey played with Charlie's long hair and kissed her head again.

"You definitely did that," Joey breathed. "I mean… wow."

"We've still got it," Charlie giggled shyly.

Joey laughed and hugged her close.

"That we do," she agreed.

A yawn interrupted her and she felt sleep beckon. Glancing at the clock, she saw she had just over an hour until she and Aden were meant to head back to the city.

"Would you be offended if I slept?" she asked.

"No," Charlie said.

She snuggled closer to Joey and then hesitated.

"Unless… was that you politely asking me to leave?"

She looked so worried. It tugged at Joey's heartstrings. With any other girl, it would have been. But as usual, with Charlie, her rule book was completely thrown out.

"No," she assured her. "You can stay."

Charlie smiled and settled against Joey's warm body. She closed her eyes and inhaled her scent. She hadn't been so happy since… well, since the last time she had been doing just that with the woman she loved.

* * *

><p>One hour later, Joey reluctantly woke up, having drifted off happily in Charlie's arms. She shifted a little, waking Charlie by accident as she did. The police officer smiled affectionately at her.<p>

"That's the best sleep I've had in a while," she said.

Joey smiled and nodded. She felt the same.

"I've got to be heading back," she said awkwardly, sitting up and scanning the room for her clothes.

Both hers and Charlie's were strewn across the floor from where they had been ripped off in a fit of passion.

"When will I see you again?" Charlie asked.

Joey froze. Charlie didn't notice.

"I mean, not to be a total sap but I am so, so happy that we're back together."

This time, she caught Joey's expression. Her heart threatened to break.

"Am I getting ahead of myself?" she asked fearfully.

"Um… well, kind of…" Joey said

Charlie bit the inside of her cheek, willing herself not to cry.

"I mean, I just… well, I thought this was…" Joey tried.

"I thought this was you giving me another chance," Charlie interrupted urgently.

"Well, I didn't say that," Joey said. "I… I told you I don't do relationships."

"But I thought…"

"What?" Joey asked, sounding less friendly. "You thought that because you're the woman who turned me into this, you would be the one to change me back?"

Charlie looked wounded. Joey felt guilty. She sank back onto the bed and held Charlie's hand.

"Charlie, today was amazing. But you know it's never going to work between us. For starters, we don't live near each other."

"You could move here!" Charlie said desperately.

"And leave the job, the home and the friends that I love?" Joey asked. "To move back here, be with you for thirty seconds and then get my heart broken when you changed your mind and screwed another guy?"

Her voice caught on the last few words. Charlie realised with desperate unhappiness, just how badly hurt Joey still was.

"I wouldn't do that…" she tried.

"Charlie, I even know _which _guy you'd do it with!"

"I…"

"You'd end up in bed with that Brax guy," Joey said. "You told me only…"

She looked at the clock.

"Three hours ago that you still had feelings for him."

"I also said that my feelings for you trample all over any feelings I might have for someone else."

"You told me you loved me before and you still went to bed with Hugo," Joey pointed out. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I think you're amazing and you're still the most beautiful woman I have ever known. But as strongly as I feel for you… as strongly as I think I'll always feel for you, I can't take the risk. I can't trust you. And I swear, if my heart breaks one more time, I won't be able to recover. Why do you think I live on one night stands?"

"If you weren't willing to give me one more chance then why did you sleep with me?" Charlie asked tearfully.

Joey watched her cry, feeling like she had been stabbed through the heart.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly. "I thought you understood."

"Well, I understand perfectly now!" Charlie snapped.

She jerked away from her and leapt out of the bed, hurriedly throwing her clothes back on. Without even bothering to tie her shoes, she stormed out of the room, bumping into Aden who had just come to knock. She glanced at him tearfully and then ran down the corridor.

Joey covered herself up just in time, as her best friend appeared. He studied her curiously and picked up the pillow she'd thrown across the room hours before.

"When I said we had to go to bed, I did mean _sleep_," he said.

Joey rolled her eyes and sank back against the mattress.

"Aden, I have seriously fucked up," she sighed.

He closed the door and perched on a chair.

"Come on," he said. "Tell me all about it. In as much graphic detail as you like."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey gets the wrong end of the stick when Charlie gets shot…<em>


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Well, why did you sleep with her if you weren't going to commit?" Aden asked.

"Because I don't commit!" Joey shrieked. "Everyone knows that."

"Yeah, but sweetheart, Charlie might not," he said as gently as he could. "She hasn't seen you in two years. She doesn't know how you live your life."

"But I told her," Joey said, pouting a little. "I told her I don't do anything more than brief hook-ups."

She sighed heavily and snuggled down beneath the blankets. She never wanted to move again.

"And did you make that explicitly clear before you were… um… explicit?" Aden asked.

"Yes!" Joey said. "Well, I thought I did. But maybe…"

She sighed again.

"I guess I was so caught up with her that I might not have made things as crystal clear as I should," she admitted. "It was so amazing, Aden."

"Yeah, I heard!" her best friend remarked.

Joey blushed.

"Literally?" she asked.

"Yep," Aden smirked.

"Sorry."

"It's fine," he joked. "It was kind of like audio porn or something. Kind of cool, actually."

Joey snorted and threw her pillow at him.

"You're disgusting," she declared.

"Hey, you were the one participating," he said. "I didn't ask to hear Charlie screaming your name at the top of her voice."

Joey felt her cheeks grow hot as she flushed with embarrassment.

"It was pretty hot," she conceded.

"And what is it now?" Aden asked.

"I have no idea," Joey replied.

* * *

><p>Having stopped off at home to change clothes and grab her iPod, Charlie charged back outside, ignoring Ruby's questions about how things had gone with Joey. All she'd said was 'badly' and that she was going for a run.<p>

Now, charging down the street with her music up too loud, Charlie replayed her afternoon with Joey over and over again. She felt like an idiot for thinking that she and Joey were actually back together. She really should have known better. But she also felt a little used. She'd said 'I love you' so many times during their encounter and although, thinking about it now, Joey hadn't said it back. She must have at least known what it all meant to her. Had she really damaged Joey so much that she was happy to use people like that?

* * *

><p>With Hammer's latest warning ringing in his ears, Brax breathlessly charged around town, trying to find Charlie. She hadn't answered her phone and when he'd gone to see her at home, Ruby had mumbled something about her going for a run. Now, he was desperate to find her before it was too late.<p>

"Charlie!" he bellowed when he spotted her.

He growled in frustration as his on-off-girlfriend either ignored him or couldn't hear him calling. He knew he'd been horrible to her the last time they'd spoken but she had upset him too. Sometimes, he thought there were too many problems for them to make things work. And sometimes he enjoyed the challenges their relationship faced. It was nothing short of complicated.

"Charlie!" he yelled again, struggling to catch up with her.

He broke into an even fast run when he saw one of Hammer's boys approaching in his car. Catching up with Charlie, he shoved her to the ground just as a shot rang out.

* * *

><p>Having had much less sleep than him, Joey had agreed to let Aden drive them back to the city.<p>

"Are you sure you don't want to make any stops before we leave?" he asked. "It could be our last chance."

"For the last time, I don't want to see Charlie," Joey said tiredly. "Or at least, I can't tell her anything that would make her want to see me."

"What about Brett?" Aden asked.

Joey shook her head. She was feeling too fragile to face her brother after all this time.

"Look, why don't you just _try _with Charlie?" Aden asked.

Joey hesitated. Was it that ridiculous to hope that things could actually work out for them? Perhaps they could start off as a long distance thing, just to see if it worked. If Joey didn't make too many sacrifices then perhaps she wouldn't fall apart completely if it didn't work out.

"Okay, let's…" she began.

She stopped talking when she saw two people on the side of the road. The woman was on her back and the man was on top of her. There was no mistaking that it was Charlie and Brax.

"Forget it," she said bitterly.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey, Aden and Brax rush Charlie to hospital and Brax learns of Charlie's relationship with Joey…<em>


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"Jo, I think she's bleeding," Aden said urgently, pulling over.

"I don't fucking care!" Joey snapped furiously.

Brax leapt off of Charlie and waved anxiously at the ambulance, knocking frantically on the side.

"What's going on?" Aden asked, opening the door.

"She's been shot," Brax said, breathless.

Joey was out of the ambulance before he'd even finished his sentence. She skidded on her knees up to Charlie who looked weak and pale. Her arm was bleeding, although it looked like the bullet had grazed her rather than entered any part of her body.

"Charlie?" she said.

The police officer only managed to mumble a few vowel sounds as she fought to stay conscious. Brax hovered over them, desperate to know if she was going to be alright while Aden raced over to get the appropriate first aid items.

"Charlie, you need to stay with me, okay?" Joey said urgently, treating the wound with trembling fingers.

She whipped her head round and glared at Brax.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded.

"Someone shot her, obviously," Brax snapped back.

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself," Joey said furiously. "Getting her caught up in all your shit."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Brax shouted, fear becoming anger and prompting him to lose his temper. "You don't even know me!"

"I know enough!" Joey yelled. "And I know you're no good for her."

"Seriously, who _are _you?" Brax yelled back.

"Guys, can we just focus on Charlie, please?" Aden said quietly but firmly. "I'm going to get the stretcher."

"I… I don't need…" Charlie said weakly.

Joey tenderly reached out and cupped her face, looking into her eyes.

"We're going to take you to the hospital," she said. "Everything's going to be okay."

Charlie gazed at her and managed to nod. She felt like her whole life was spiralling out of control. One minute, she'd been in bed with Joey and the next she'd never felt so rejected in her whole life. One minute, she'd been jogging out her grief and the next she'd been shot. And now, she was caught between Joey and Brax, both fighting with each other and trying to care for her. She gave in and passed out.

* * *

><p>"It looks like we're never getting home," Aden commented.<p>

He was sat beside Joey in the hospital waiting room. She was pale with anxiety and her whole body was tensed up as she waited for news on Charlie's condition. Across the hall, Brax was also hanging around. He caught her eye. Although he didn't know who she was, the connection between her and Charlie was obvious and he couldn't help but think she was a threat.

"I just need to find out that she's okay," Joey replied quietly. "And then we can go."

"You really want to leave like this?" Aden asked incredulously.

Joey stared at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Jo, she's nearly died twice in one day," Aden said. "And you're very obviously still in love with each other. How can you walk away just like that?"

Brax looked up sharply, having been listening to their conversation. He stood immediately and sat, uninvited, beside Joey.

"Did you just say they're in love with each other?" he demanded of Aden.

Joey's best friend looked panicked and didn't quite know how to respond so he said nothing. Joey looked away but she could feel Brax's eyes burning into hers.

"Charlie and I are together," the River Boy said. "And she's straight. She… How can you…?"

"Charlie and I used to be an item," Joey said flatly, still not looking at him.

"You and Charlie?" he said incredulously. "No way."

"Looks like you don't know her as well as you thought you did," Joey said.

"There is no way that Charlie's a dyke," Brax insisted. "She hasn't been able to get enough of me for months…"

Joey finally looked at him.

"There aren't only two options, you idiot," she snapped. "There's such a thing as being able to fall in love with both genders!"

"No," Brax said. "Charlie _only _likes men. I know she does."

"Then she was doing a great job of pretending to like girls this morning," Joey shot back.

She instantly regretted it. Whatever her feelings, she didn't want to make life more difficult for her ex-girlfriend. Brax just stared her. He shook his head again.

"No way," he repeated. "No way."

They both looked up when Sid appeared.

"How's Charlie?" Brax and Joey asked in unison.

"She's fine," the Doctor assured her. "You can see her."

They both moved forward but he stopped them.

"One at a time is best," he said.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Brax confronts Charlie about Joey…<em>


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

Brax elbowed his way into Charlie's room without so much as giving Joey a chance. He rushed to her on-off-girlfriend's side and held her hand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly, although confusion and anger was still bubbling away in the back of his mind.

How could Charlie have dated that woman? Was she gay or straight? And why hadn't she been upfront about it? And had they been together that morning while he had been tearing his hair out trying to protect her from Hammer?

"I'm okay," Charlie said, trying not to register her disappointment that Joey hadn't come in to check on her. "A bit sore but it was mostly a graze. Not a proper shooting, as such."

He nodded, still clutching her hand.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you," he admitted quietly. "I'm so sorry I got you dragged into all this mess. I…"

He trailed off and shook his head.

"Charlie, who's that woman I keep seeing you with?" he asked, deciding to get right to the point.

Charlie hesitated.

"Is she here?" she asked.

She saw bitterness etched on his face as he nodded.

"Her name's Joey," Charlie explained. "I haven't seen her for years. I… We…"

"You were lovers?" he said.

Charlie nodded, surprised to find that, despite how awkward the situation was, she wasn't ashamed to admit that she and Joey had been an item.

"When?" Brax demanded. "And why the hell didn't you tell me? I mean, something like that is important to know, Charlie! If I'd been sleeping around with men, wouldn't you want to know where I've been and what I've been doing?"

Charlie hesitated.

"We were together very briefly in 2009," she explained. "I didn't tell you because I didn't think it was relevant. I didn't think I'd ever see her again."

"So… what are you?" he asked.

"What do you mean, 'what am I'?" Charlie asked. "I'm me."

"You who suddenly likes girls," Brax pointed out.

"Me who predominantly dates guys but fell in love with a girl two years ago," Charlie replied calmly.

"Did you love her as much as me?" Brax asked. "Because you said you loved me."

Charlie hesitated. She didn't want to lie but the truth would hurt him. She let the question hang in the air as if they could somehow forget about it.

"Do you still love her?" Brax asked, his tone surprisingly soft.

"Yes, I do," Charlie admitted. "I'll always love her."

She shrugged sadly.

"And where does this leave us?" Brax asked.

"It doesn't affect us," Charlie replied. "We were over before Joey came to town."

"But…"

He let go of her hand and rubbed his temples.

"I thought that was just temporary," he said.

"Until I stopped being a cop or you stopped being a criminal?"

Brax sighed and sank into the chair beside the bed, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I'm not a criminal anymore," he said. "You know I've changed. And if only this damn town would catch on, then you and I could be together. Or so I thought."

Charlie sighed heavily.

"Brax, I care about you," she said sincerely. "I love you even. But you know this is never going to work…"

He jumped to his feet, finally annoyed.

"It could work if we tried!" he said. "If we just tried…"

She reached out for his hand.

"It won't," she said.

"But you can't deny that there's something between us. How can you let that go?"

"There is something between us," Charlie said. "There probably always will be. But… it's impossible."

"We would have made it work if it hadn't been for her," Brax insisted. "Now she's back, you can suddenly fight your attraction and your feelings and all the stuff you battled so much with before."

Charlie sighed.

"She's not staying," she said. "She's heading back to the city today and I'm probably never going to see her again."

"Why not?" he asked. "If you're still in love with her or… whatever."

"Because she doesn't love me," Charlie replied, grief evident in her voice.

Brax leant forward and kissed her tenderly, making the moment last as long as he could. Drawing away, he looked into her eyes.

"Nobody looks as concerned as she does right now if they're not in love," he said. "I don't claim to understand whatever you've got going on with her and I certainly don't want to know the details. I desperately hope that it doesn't work out and that you realise the person you really want is me. I can't even promise not to give you up without a fight. But she loves you. You should know that."

Kissing her one more time, he left.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey have a heart to heart at last…<em>


	22. Chapter 22

_This is your third and final update for today but my first post tomorrow will be a new fic called 'To Win You Back' so look out for it if you would like to have a read. For now, I hope that this might be the chapter you've been waiting for… Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Joey watched Brax stride out of the hospital without so much as a backwards glance. She looked at Aden.

"What am I meant to do now?" she asked.

"Uh… go in and see her?" Aden suggested as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She silently conceded that it probably was. Sighing heavily, Joey hauled herself to her feet and headed off in the direction Brax had come. She found Charlie in a hospital bed, looking ever so frail and very stressed in a side room. She knocked gently on the open door. Charlie smiled weakly when she saw her.

"Hey," the police officer greeted weakly.

"Hey," Joey said, stepping into the room. "I just thought I'd check on you before I…"

"Leave town forever?" Charlie challenged sadly.

Joey swallowed and nodded.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Pretty much like I worked through a storm, nearly fell off a cliff, rekindled a romance with the love of my life, got my heart broken and then got shot," Charlie replied bluntly.

Joey managed a soft laugh and reached for her hand.

"Well, I'm sorry for my part in all of that," she said. "We shouldn't have… rekindled if I wasn't planning on sticking around."

Charlie nodded.

"Although, after how awesome it was, it's hard to regret it too much," Joey added with a naughty grin.

Charlie laughed and squeezed her hand.

"It was pretty awesome," she agreed.

They both giggled and blushed rather shyly. Joey looked down and studied their hands. She stroked her thumb gently over Charlie's skin, trying to make sense of all the emotions charging around in her brain.

"I didn't cope so well when I lost you, Charlie," she admitted.

Charlie nodded uncertainly. She'd empathise and explain how badly she'd coped with the breakup too if it wasn't so insensitive. It had been her fault, after all. She watched Joey sigh and pull up the chair that Brax had vacated, keeping hold of her hand.

"I tried so hard to forget you," she said. "Being out on the ocean, I thought I was going to be the happiest girl in the world. I thought the water was my first love but… even if it was, you overrode that pretty quickly."

She sighed again, still playing with Charlie's fingers.

"I stayed out there for three months and I still loved you and missed you as much as I had when I started," she explained. "I was so excited about coming home. All I could dream about was telling you that I forgave you and that we could start again. I…"

Shaking her head, she continued to study their hands.

"Then I called ahead to check what I was walking into and Aden told me you were dating that guy and… Well, all I can say is that I don't think one person has broken another person's heart so many times," she said.

"Joey, I'm so sorry…"

Joey merely shrugged.

"I stayed on the trawler for a just less than a year," she said. "I tried even harder to forget you but I realised that all the while I had limited contact with other people, while I was doing the same old thing every day, I was never going to find a way to leave you behind. I know this is going to sound really weird but being on that boat reminded me of you."

Charlie eyed her quizzically.

"How?" she asked.

"Because we nearly kissed on a boat," Joey said. "I remember that moment so clearly. When I thought I was actually going to get to press my lips against yours, I thought my heart was going to burst from sheer joy. And it killed me when I you pulled away."

Charlie apologised quietly. Joey shrugged again, tracing patterns on the back of Charlie's hand.

"And I always saw the trawler as a temporary thing," she said. "It was how I was going to fill my time until I could come back to you. I'd been missing you and longing for you and you'd just forgotten me."

"I didn't forget you, Joey," Charlie said quickly.

"But you started dating Angelo as soon as I left!" Joey protested, gazing into her eyes and searching for the truth.

Charlie sighed heavily and clutched her hand a little tighter.

"I missed you every single second of the day," she ventured. "I cried myself to sleep and I felt like a robot in the day time because that was all I could do to keep myself together. I had the date of your return marked in my calendar and I was so excited to see you again but… I was lonely."

She sighed again and used her free hand to wipe her eyes.

"I know it's not an excuse and it's not acceptable," she said, "but Angelo and I only hooked up because we were both a mess. I had no hesitation in my mind that as soon as you came back, it would be over and we'd be together. But the more silence I got from you, the more my heart broke and the more I started to doubt you were coming home. And Angelo was just… there. He wanted me, we'd dated before and it was familiar. The next thing I knew, I guess I was in a relationship with him. I didn't plan it and to be honest, I didn't really want it. I've never dated someone that I've fallen out with so many times. We broke up so often that I actually lost count. And then… then Brett ran me over…."

"What?" Joey squeaked.

"It was an accident but at the hospital, he made it very clear that you weren't coming home and it was all my fault," Charlie said. "And then my life kind of went to hell and…"

She trailed off unhappily.

"I guess Aden filled you in on all the gory details," she said. "About Ruby and Grant and… everything."

Joey nodded sadly, gently squeezing her hand.

"I was really sorry to hear about what you'd been through," she admitted. "When I heard about it, I was half tempted to come back to try to help you but then I remembered you had Angelo and you were all in love with him and everything…"

She pulled a face as if there was suddenly a bad smell in the room. Charlie chuckled softly.

"I wasn't in love with him," she said. "I tried really, really hard to be but…"

She shook her head.

"I just never could," she said. "We were never meant to be. I mean, we did have some good times but for the most part, I was miserable. I think we both were. And now, knowing that being with him cost me you…"

She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head back on the pillow.

"What happened after you left the trawler?" she asked, keeping her eyes shut.

"I met up with Aden and Justin," Joey explained. "We bummed around a bit while Justin went back to the army. Then we rented an apartment and trained to be paramedics. It's just kind of gone from there really."

"And you've hooked up with a million girls since then?" Charlie asked, cracking one eyes open.

Joey blushed and little and shook her head.

"Not that many," she assured her.

"How many?"

Joey shrugged and said she didn't know.

"It was probably the wrong thing to do but I tried being celibate and forgetting you and that didn't work," she explained. "So I went the other way, I guess. I never saw anyone more than once and I had a habit of picking girls that looked kind of like you. Aden thinks I've been a ticking time bomb for ages and I guess I have. I just… I shut my heart off for fear of it breaking again. But I guess it never really healed."

Charlie nodded and sat up again, still clutching Joey's hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry for everything I put you through."

Joey shrugged and sighed all at the same time.

"And now we're here," she said. "And I don't know what to do next."

"What do you _want _to do next?" Charlie wondered.

"I don't know that either," Joey said. "You?"

"I want to be with you," Charlie said without so much as pausing for breath.

Joey's eyes lit up ever so briefly but she tried to cover it.

"What about Brax?"

"I don't want to be with him," Charlie said.

"Why not?" Joey asked. "Did he dump you because he found out about us or…?"

"No," Charlie said. "You're not second choice, if that's what you're asking."

"Which choice am I?" Joey wondered.

"First choice," Charlie said. "You've _always _been first choice. I know it's too late but you're all I want, Joey. I want the chance to start again with you. I want you to forget all those girls and Brax and Angelo and just… be with me."

Joey hesitated, captivated suddenly by Charlie's blue eyes.

"Okay," she said finally said.

The sound was barely audible but Charlie was certain that's what she had heard.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Ruby go to the city to spend time with Joey…<em>


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Charlie stared at Joey for several long moments.

"Did you say 'okay'?" she dared to ask.

Joey nodded.

"If you think it could work?" she said, worried that she might have made a mistake.

"I'm convinced it can," Charlie said certainly. "Or at least, I know I will do everything I can to make sure it does."

"I couldn't move back to the Bay," Joey ventured. "It'd be kind of long distance for us."

Charlie nodded.

"That's fine," she said.

"But… I couldn't handle it if you were with me on the weekends and with some guy during the week or something like that…" Joey said, her voice catching.

Charlie squeezed her hand.

"It won't be like that," she promised. "You're the only person I ever want to be with."

Joey nodded, still cautious.

"And you… you wouldn't be…?" Charlie ventured.

Joey smiled warmly.

"You'd be my one and only," she said. "I swear."

They beamed at each other before Joey leant in for a soft kiss.

"So… are you still leaving today?" Charlie asked quietly when they parted.

Joey chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Because as soon as I get out of here, I could go with you," Charlie dared. "They're not likely to want me back to work too quickly. I'd just have to check in with Ruby and then I could…"

She swallowed anxiously.

"You know, if you wanted me?" she added.

Joey smiled and kissed her again.

"That sounds perfect," she said.

* * *

><p>On yet another detour, Aden waited outside Charlie's house in the ambulance while she and Joey went inside to talk to Ruby. The teenager was still heartbroken about her breakup with Casey and once she had been assured that Charlie hadn't been seriously injured from the shooting, she was happy that she and Joey were trying to start again.<p>

"No, I don't want you to go to the city," she said, attempting to look serious.

It worked as Charlie looked utterly distraught.

"I'm kidding!" the teenager said with a giggle. "Of course you can go. I'm not about to get in the way of you two finally getting your act together, am I?"

She shook her head and tutted but then looked genuinely concerned.

"Make sure you look after her, won't you?" she asked Joey who was perched rather nervously in the opposite chair.

"I will," she promised.

She could hardly believe that this was really happening. Never in her life had she ever thought she would be giving her relationship with Charlie a second chance. She was still a little worried that she might be making a mistake. And she knew she wouldn't be able to take it if she got her heart broken again. But there had been something so very sincere in Charlie's eyes that had compelled her to take a risk.

"Will you be okay, though?" Charlie asked Ruby, very aware that she had just broken up with Casey.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ruby said, putting on her brave face.

"You could always come with us if you like," Joey offered spontaneously.

Both Buckton women looked surprised.

"Really?" Ruby said. "I mean, I don't want to interfere or…?"

"It's fine," Joey said. "Judging by the state of that school building, it won't be open for a while. You could bring your study stuff and just hang out at mine for a few days. If you like?"

"I'd love to but…"

She looked at Charlie, not wanting to encroach on her long awaited reunion with Joey.

"I'd love you to come," Charlie said sincerely.

"Then that's settled," Joey said, standing up. "Who needs help packing?"

* * *

><p>It was early evening when Joey and Aden finally arrived home and let Charlie and Ruby into their apartment. Aden had driven them all into the city, stopped off at work to return the errant ambulance and swap it for the car he and Joey had bought together the previous year.<p>

"This place is lovely," Charlie complimented as Joey gave her and Ruby a guided tour.

"It's okay," Joey said modestly. "We worked pretty hard to decorate it. It's home."

She led them to the spare bedroom where Ruby would be staying.

"And we'll be next door," Joey said. "Unless you don't want to share with me."

Charlie snorted at Joey's smirk.

"Those days are long gone," she assured her.

Joey smiled earnestly and squeezed her hand.

"You can dump your bags," she said, opening the door to her bedroom and gesturing for Charlie to go inside.

"Thanks," Charlie said politely.

Joey checked on Ruby who was also putting her things in her room. Then she stepped into her own bedroom and captured Charlie in her arms.

"I'm glad you're here," she said, kissing her gently.

Charlie ignored the pain in her injured arm as she held Joey closer.

"I'm glad too," she replied.

* * *

><p>That night, having tucked into pizza and supervised Wii wars between Joey, Aden and Ruby, Charlie was looking forward to getting some sleep. It really had been a big couple of days. She was absolutely exhausted.<p>

"Thanks for letting us come and stay," she said.

"I'm happy to have you here," Joey assured her. "And I intend to keep you for as long as I can possibly get away with."

She grinned devilishly and began to strip off. Feeling suddenly shy, Charlie hesitated. Noticing, Joey raised an eyebrow.

"You do realise we were undressed in the same room only a few hours ago?" she checked.

Charlie blushed and nodded.

"I know," she said. "But that was different…"

"How?" Joey asked.

Charlie couldn't help but stare at her, now wearing only underwear and a pair of Tigger slippers that looked as if the animated creature was eating her feet. She admired her as she leant forward and pulled a t-shirt from beneath her pillow and dropped it over her head.

"We were overcome with passion last time," Charlie said.

Joey smirked at her.

"You're not overcome with passion now?" she teased.

Charlie giggled.

"It's the slippers, isn't it?"

Charlie laughed again and pulled her own night clothes out of her bag. Joey took her hand and sat down on the edge of the bed with her.

"I know I've said it a hundred times but thank you for being willing to try again," Charlie said sincerely.

Joey smiled and reached out to stroke her face, kissing her ever so softly on the lips.

"I'm glad we're doing this," she said. "And for fear of losing my persona as energetic sex goddess, would you mind if we just… cuddled?"

She blushed a little. Charlie kissed her.

"I can't think of anything I'd like to do more," she said.

Losing her shyness, she changed into her own pyjamas. They climbed into either side of the bed and met in the middle, cuddling up and looking forward to going to sleep in contentment they hadn't experienced in years.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey gets the wrong end of the stick and Charlie gets abducted…<em>


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

It had been a wonderful few weeks. Although it had involved a lot of travelling for both Charlie and Joey between Summer Bay and the city, both women thought it was completely worth it. They were both surprised, after all the hurt they had been through, that it had been so easy to fit into each other's lives again. And it made them believe that they were really meant to be together.

"I'm really looking forward to coming to see you," Charlie said affectionately.

She had been out for a run on the beach when her phone had rung. Knowing that Joey was on shift in an hour and usually phoned shortly before she started, Charlie had happily paused her exercise regime to talk to her.

"I've got a surprise for you when you get here, actually," Joey told her.

"A surprise? What is it?" Charlie asked.

"Do you understand the concept of a surprise?" Joey teased.

Charlie laughed.

"I understand surprises," she said. "But it doesn't mean I'm not going to drive myself crazy trying to figure out what it us!"

Joey laughed softly on the other end of the phone.

"Is it tonight yet?" she asked hopefully.

"Not quite!" Charlie laughed.

"I wish you were here now," Joey admitted.

Part of her was horrified that she had become such a sap so quickly. But the other part of her didn't mind. Life was too short to be miserable. She loved Charlie and she was excited to be able to embrace that after so long.

"Well, it's you who's got to work," Charlie teased. "I'm free all day. You're the one who's busy!"

"Not my fault!" Joey protested.

"Hey, just think," Charlie said. "I'll be there, ready and waiting when you finish your last shout. And then we have three wonderful days together."

"That's _all _I think about these days," Joey admitted.

Charlie smiled adoringly, even though Joey couldn't actually see her. Gazing out at the beach, she frowned when she saw a gathering gang of tattooed men. Some were River Boys and they very obviously included Brax and Heath. Some were from Jake's gang. Whenever the two groups met, bad things happened.

"Listen, I've got to go," she said apologetically.

"Oh," Joey said, her voice flooded with disappointment.

"Sorry," Charlie said sincerely. "I think there might be a situation on the beach."

"Always on duty," Joey teased.

Charlie grinned.

"Well, maybe not _always_," she said.

Joey giggled and wished her both fun and luck in saving the day.

"I love you," Charlie said, getting to her feet and striding over to the group where it looked like Brax was about to deck someone.

"I love you too," Joey replied. "And I can't wait to see you."

"Only a few hours," Charlie assured her.

They said their goodbyes. Charlie hung up the phone but not before Joey had distinctly heard her call her ex-boyfriend's name.

* * *

><p>"Joey, you're driving me insane," Aden complained as he and his best friend left the hospital to go back to their ambulance in order to gobble down some lunch while they awaited their next job.<p>

"But why would she be seeing him?" Joey wondered. "I mean, she said she didn't have anything to do with him now."

"You told me she said she was trying to stop a situation," Aden pointed out. "Maybe there was an accident or a fight or something. Just because she said his name, doesn't mean she's cheating on you."

Joey frowned and sank into the driver's seat. Aden handed over her sandwiches but she merely poked at them unhappily.

"I should have known this was too good to be true," she sighed. "Once a cheater, always a cheater. Isn't that what they say?"

"That's what _some _people say," Aden conceded. "But it doesn't make it true."

Joey sighed heavily and poked her food a little more.

"Joey, Charlie is absolutely crazy about you," he said. "Saying Brax's name once doesn't mean anything. I mean, you can tell how much she loves you just by the way she looks at you…"

Joey looked up sharply, meeting his gaze.

"If I hadn't found her earring at Hugo's place and worked things out for myself, I never would have known she'd slept with him behind my back," she pointed out darkly. "She never behaved any differently. And for the last few weeks, I thought it was because she really loved me. But maybe she just doesn't have a damn conscience."

She pulled her sandwich apart and wondered why it suddenly looked so unappetising.

"Jo, please don't jump off the deep end," Aden begged. "Talk to her."

"And listen to her lie to me all over again?" Joey snapped. "I knew I shouldn't have risked getting my heart broken. I've been all sickening and sappy. I shouldn't have let my guard down…"

"For goodness sake, would you stop destroying your lunch and just bloody call her?" Aden said, finally losing patience.

Joey merely pulled a face. Leaning forward, Aden took his friend's phone from the dashboard and dialled himself. Ignoring her protests, he put the mobile to her ear.

"Answerphone," she said when Charlie failed to pick up. "She's probably too busy screwing Brax to hear me calling…"

* * *

><p>Charlie was frozen in fear as she sat, tied and gagged in an old lockup just out of town. She'd broken up the fight on the beach and then continued on her run. Listening to music, she had wondered excessively what Joey's surprise might be. Whatever it was, she was certain she would love it. She loved everything about her. Then a car had pulled up. Then everything had gone black. Now, she was trapped in the lockup with Hammer and something told her she wasn't getting out alive.<p>

They both jumped when her phone rang. Hammer snatched it up and stared at the screen.

"Who's Joey?" he demanded.

"My girlfriend," Charlie mumbled through her gag.

He whipped the material out of her mouth.

"What did you say?"

"My girlfriend," Joey repeated.

He looked puzzled for a moment.

"Does Brax know about your little lesbian tryst?" he asked.

"Not that it's any of his business but yes, he knows I'm with Joey," Charlie said. "Everyone knows."

"And where does he fit in with it all?" Hammer asked. "You're screwing both of them at the same time? Or have you got a little threesome going on?"

Charlie pulled a face.

"I'm not with Brax," she said, sounding far calmer than she thought.

"Not what I heard," he replied.

"Well, you heard wrong," Charlie replied.

He crouched down in front of her.

"Well, that's a real bitch for you," he said. "Because I was banking on him coming to rescue you. If he doesn't then I'll have to find another way to get him. And you've therefore made yourself disposable."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Brax attempts to save Charlie's life while Joey frets about her girlfriend's whereabouts…<em>


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Brax jumped into his car and peeled towards the location Hammer had set. His heart raced as he thought of Charlie being in danger. She might have dumped him for some woman but it didn't mean he could let her suffer at Hammer's hands. Regardless of how she felt about him, he was still in love with her. A part of him hoped that perhaps, if he saved her then she might realise he was the person she was meant to be with. He doubted some paramedic could compare to what he and Charlie had. This was his one chance to both save her life and save their relationship.

* * *

><p>Aden had failed to shake Joey out of her mood. She was more depressed than he had seen her in a long time and while he kept trying to stand up for Charlie, he was losing patience with her. And he would absolutely hate her beyond forgiving if Joey was right and she got hurt all over again. His best friend had been through enough and he doubted that she would recover this time if Charlie broke her heart again.<p>

* * *

><p>Charlie fought to stay strong as Hammer paced the room she was being held in. He had let her out of the gag but she was still tied at the wrists. She just hoped that Brax would be as good as his word and come to save her. She hated being in a position where she had to be saved. But her faith was faltering. Perhaps a few weeks ago, Brax would have done anything to protect her from his enemies. But she had just dumped him, however privately, for Joey. Why would he even care if Hammer was threatening her life? Why would he bother putting himself at risk?<p>

* * *

><p>"Why don't you try and call her again?" Aden tried.<p>

"I'm not desperate!" Joey snapped.

"Jo…" he tried.

She turned her back on him, consumed with her own fear that Charlie was being untrue to her again. She really didn't think she could take it a second time.

"Look, let's just not think about it," Aden suggested. "When she gets here tonight, you can talk things through."

"If she bothers to show up," Joey remarked darkly.

* * *

><p>Brax arrived in a hurry and Hammer let him into the warehouse.<p>

"Finally!" he said. "I thought you'd given up now that your chick's a muff diver!"

Brax blanched and looked anxiously at Charlie. Hammer knowing about his relationship with Charlie was dangerous. Hammer knowing that she had dumped him for a girl was just humiliating.

"Why don't you just let her go?" he said. "She's got nothing to do with any of this."

Hammer nodded and untied Charlie. Brax looked on cautiously. There was no way that this would be that easy. Standing up, Charlie winced as she felt Hammer press his gun into her back.

"Tie him up," he instructed.

Trembling, Charlie obeyed. Kneeling in front of a compliant Brax, she apologised.

"It's fine," he said. "Just as long as you're safe."

Kicking her out the way, Hammer stood in front of Brax. He pointed his weapon at his head.

"I'm going to shoot her," he said. "And then I'm going to shoot you."

Brax swallowed.

"Just shoot me," he said. "I don't even know why you've got Charlie here! She's not involved in anything going on between us."

"You're in love with her," Hammer accused.

"I'm not!" Brax lied. "We might have hooked up a couple of times but it's nothing more than that."

Charlie swallowed uncertainly. Hammer shook his head.

"I don't believe you," he said. "If that was true, you'd have just let her die. It would have been no skin off your nose. You've done worse things."

Charlie cringed a little. For many, many reasons, she was relieved that she had come to her senses. Not only was she desperately happy with Joey, she wanted no part in any of the things that Brax and the rest of the River Boys were caught up in.

"I have," Brax agreed. "I guess I'm trying to change."

"How sweet," Hammer snarled.

He cocked his gun and aimed it at Charlie's head. As soon as he switched his attention, Brax leapt up. Despite his hands being tied behind his back, he launched himself at Hammer and knocked him to the floor. Hammer dropped his gun as he quickly gained the upper hand with Brax. In a state of panic, Charlie grabbed the gun and fired.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie has to choose between Brax and Joey while Joey makes some bad choices of her own…<em>


	26. Chapter 26

_This is the welcome Eatmywords back into the reviewing world! I hope you all like the chapter and please don't hate Joey (or me!) too much…! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Six**

The next few hours passed by in a blur. Hammer was dead and had been taken off to the morgue. Charlie had been interviewed by Inspector Joyce and Constable Watson, as she tried to explain why Hammer had kidnapped her in the first place. She was relieved to have confessed already to dating Brax, even though the relationship was very much in the past as far as she was concerned. But she was suspended, pending an investigation into Hammer's death and she was terrified that the lines had become too blurred to save her career.

"Charlie?" Brax said softly, touching her shoulder.

She sat in the back of an open police car with her legs outside the vehicle. He crouched down in front of her, making eye contact as quickly as he could.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm just peachy," Charlie said, almost sarcastic but mostly just tired.

"Sorry," he said. "That was a stupid question."

Charlie merely nodded.

"They took my statement," he said. "I have to go in and sign it tomorrow but I told them what happened. I told them it wasn't your fault."

"It doesn't matter," Charlie said. "Just the fact that he abducted me because he thought we were together is enough to ruin me."

She sighed heavily and rubbed her face.

"I never should have got involved with you in the first place."

* * *

><p>"Well, she's not here," Joey said flatly, tossing her keys on the hall table when she and Aden let themselves into their apartment.<p>

"Maybe she got held up in traffic," Aden said, still trying to be optimistic. "Call her."

Joey surprised him by following his instruction without question. Charlie's phone rang off quickly. Annoyed, Joey tossed her mobile onto the couch and stormed off for a shower.

* * *

><p>"Brax!" Charlie protested when he grabbed her phone and turned it off. "That could have been important!"<p>

"More important than what happened here today?" the River Boy asked urgently.

"It could have been Joey," Charlie said.

She glanced at her watch, realising that she was very late in meeting her girlfriend.

"How can you even think about her at a time like this?" Brax asked.

"I think about her all the time," Charlie replied.

He studied her face.

"You just killed a man to save my life, Charlie," he said. "That has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"It means my instinct was to save your life," Charlie said. "Nothing more than that."

He sighed and inched a little closer.

"Charlie, I'm in love with you," he said. "That's why I came here today. That's why I would have been willing to die for you."

Charlie tensed at the urgency of his words. Not so long ago, she would have felt conflicted. Right now, she just felt awkward.

"You can't sit there and tell me you don't feel the same," Brax said.

* * *

><p>"I'm going out drinking," Joey announced.<p>

She had showered and changed into skinny jeans and a form fitting blue top that showed a lot of cleavage. Aden was immediately worried.

"Joey, you're not about to do something you're going to regret, are you?" he asked.

"Nope," Joey said, grabbing her keys. "I'm not in the mood to regret anything."

She left quickly. He feared he knew only too well what she was planning to do.

* * *

><p>"I don't feel the same," Charlie said sadly.<p>

She gazed into his eyes and saw the hurt there.

"I think once upon a time, I would have," she continued quietly. "It was only a few weeks ago that I was crazy about you. I couldn't think straight and I was completely trapped in our attraction for each other. But now…"

"Now?" Brax asked. "Now, all you can think about is her? She doesn't even live here, Charlie. You only get to see her on weekends. And there's no way that what you've got with her could be even nearly as powerful as what we have."

"Well, I feel even more strongly about her than I did two years ago," Charlie replied. "And it was so undeniable then that…"

"That you slept with some guy behind her back!" Brax burst out.

Since finding out about Charlie and Joey, he had made a point of doing his research.

"That was the worst mistake of my life," Charlie said, her voice catching. "I've never regretted anything more than not realising what I had before I lost it. I love her so much, Brax. More than I could ever explain."

"But what about me?" Brax urged. "What about us?"

"Even if I was to get back with you, I'd lose everything," Charlie reminded him. "I'm already suspended and it's not just because I shot a man. It's because I've been caught up with you for months. It's because I can't prove that I've been impartial. It's because, as much as I know you want to go legit, that you want to be a better man and stay on the right side of the law, I'm the only one who _does _know that. As far as my superiors are concerned, I've been fraternising with a criminal."

"But if we just gave it time, people would see that I've changed," Brax insisted. "I'm an established business owner now. I've stopped doing all the stuff I used to. Half the reason I'm in so much trouble right now, the reason Jake's gang's after me is because I've tried to leave that life behind."

"And I admire you for that," Charlie said. "I think it's great and I hope you succeed. I want to see you make a success of yourself."

"But I can't do it without you, Charlie!" Brax said desperately and rather too loudly.

Several officers, including Inspector Joyce looked at them. Charlie felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"You can and you will," she said quietly.

"But we've come through the hard part," he persisted. "If we played it right, we could be together. We could survive."

"I don't want to," Charlie said, realising that diplomacy wasn't getting her anywhere.

She looked down at him and felt a pang of sadness. She had never seen him look so lost or vulnerable. He was usually so in control of everything he did and everything he felt. Watching him on his knees, practically begging to be with her, was unsettling to say the least.

"You know we've got something special here," he said.

"I know we _had _something special," she agreed. "But it's over now. I'm sorry. Maybe if the last few weeks hadn't turned out how they did, if Joey hadn't come back and she hadn't been willing to give me a second chance… maybe then I would have thought it would be worth taking the risk. But she _did _come back, Brax. She does love me and I have one single chance to prove myself. I'm not going to mess it up."

* * *

><p>"We haven't seen you in here for a while," Joey's local bar tender remarked when she waltzed through the doors and ordered a large white wine.<p>

"I got side tracked," she said. "But I'm back in business now."

She had been hanging out in this particular gay bar for as long as she had lived in the city. And she had probably hooked up with most of the clientele at one point or another.

"Well, Lindsey will be relieved," the barmaid, a twenty year old student called Jas commented. "She's been missing you."

Joey looked round to where the woman in question, a pretty redhead who had only recently fallen out of the closet was seated with her friends. She made eye contact immediately and smiled. Lindsey barely hesitated in wandering over to talk to her.

* * *

><p>"Do you really want to live like that?" Brax asked.<p>

Charlie took her phone back and stood up, looking around for Watson in the hope of getting a lift back home. If there was one colleague who wasn't going to judge her, it was faithful Georgie, who always tried to see the best in everyone.

"Live like what?" she asked, spotting Watson and walking towards her.

Brax fell into step beside her.

"Like you always have to prove yourself," he said. "You wouldn't have to do that with me. I love you for exactly who you are."

Charlie stopped and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "My heart's just not in it."

* * *

><p>"I've been missing you around here for the last few weeks," Lindsey said, a little tipsy and giggly.<p>

Joey studied her face. All she could see was Charlie.

"Well, I'm back now," she said thoughtfully.

"Good," Lindsey said. "Because I'd love to finally get the chance to tell you exactly how I feel."

She leant in, eager to press her lips against Joey's.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Joey realises how much she loves Charlie…<em>


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Joey jerked back before Lindsey could get anywhere near her.

"What's wrong?" the pretty girl asked in surprise.

"I can't do this," Joey said.

She downed her drink and stood up. Lindsey followed her towards the door and grabbed her hand, spinning her back round.

"Joey?" she said.

"I can't hook up with you," Joey said anxiously.

"But you've hooked up with _everyone_," Lindsey pointed out bitterly. "What's so bad about me?"

"It's not you," Joey said.

Lindsey merely rolled her eyes at such an obvious line.

"The reason I've not been around is because I've fallen in love with someone," Joey said.

"You?" Lindsey balked. "_You've _fallen in love?"

"I've been in love with her for years," Joey admitted. "And we're back together. And… well, even if it's over now, even if she doesn't want to be with me anymore, I have to try. I have to at least make sure it's over before I break my heart all over again."

She offered a weak smile and left the bar, hurrying home.

* * *

><p>Aden grabbed Joey's phone when it rang. In her haste, she had left it behind. Seeing Charlie's name flashed up, he answered quickly and urgently.<p>

"Charlie?" he said. "Where the hell are you?"

"I got waylaid," Charlie explained. "Where's Joey?"

"She's… popped out," Aden said weakly. "I think she'll be home soon."

He moved to look out of the window, willing his words to be true.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah," Aden said. "What happened? I mean, you haven't um… well, you haven't…?"

"What?" Charlie asked sharply.

"Got distracted with Brax or anything?" Aden asked, rather more bluntly than he meant to.

"No!" Charlie insisted. "Why would you think that? Does Joey think that?"

"No," Aden lied. "But she was worried about you and why you hadn't got in touch. So I was just being the dutiful best friend. Because if you _had _done something like that then I'd have to advise you not to come."

He heard Charlie exhale on the other end of the line.

"If you must know, I was kidnapped and nearly killed today," she said. "But thanks for having so much faith in me."

Aden sighed and apologised.

"Has Joey really just popped out?" Charlie asked. "I'm all packed up and ready to go but if she's broken up with me without actually letting me know then I won't bother."

"She loves you," Aden said. "Just… just come and… and you can sort it out."

* * *

><p>Joey burst back into the flat five minutes later. Aden hurried to meet her.<p>

"Charlie's on her way," he said urgently.

Joey paused, a little startled.

"She is?"

"Yes," Aden said. "Please tell me you didn't just ruin your entire relationship with her, Jo."

"I didn't," she assured him.

Relief flooded both of them.

"I nearly did," she admitted, throwing herself onto the couch. "But I stopped before I started. I couldn't. Even when I thought she'd cheated on me, I couldn't do the same. I couldn't hurt her and put her through the same pain she's put me through."

Aden nodded and sat down beside her.

"Well, she definitely didn't cheat on you," he said. "In fact, she's got one hell of an excuse as to why she was late."

"What kind of excuse?"

"Just go and shower the smell of beer off you and wait for her, okay?" her housemate instructed.

Joey sighed and nodded, hauling herself to her feet. At the door to her bedroom, she looked back.

"You really think I got the whole Brax thing wrong?" she asked.

"I'm positive," Aden assured her.

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, rather exhausted and emotional, Charlie arrived at Joey and Aden's apartment. Joey opened the door to her and they immediately fell into each other's arms.<p>

"What happened to you?" Joey asked, her lips pressed against her girlfriend's neck.

"It's a long story," Charlie sighed. "And I require at least a bottle of wine to tell it."

Joey stepped back and nodded, holding onto Charlie's hands. She gazed longingly into her eyes, hating herself for having doubted her. She felt sick just thinking about the mistake she nearly made and she dreaded having to tell her the truth about it. But lies were what had destroyed them the first time around and there was no way Joey was prepared to lose the love of her life again.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie and Joey have a heart to heart…<em>


	28. Chapter 28

_Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. I ended up with another stomach bug and have been in agony since three o'clock yesterday morning. Feeling a bit improved today so will try and do a double update if my ability to sit up and look at a computer screen holds out. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Charlie and Joey retired quickly to Joey's room, leaving Aden in peace. Curled up on the bed, Charlie relayed the story of her horrible day to her girlfriend. Joey held her close and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, meaning it even more than Charlie understood.

"It wasn't fun," Charlie admitted. "I feel sick just thinking about it. I killed a man…"

"He was a bastard," Joey pointed out.

"He was," Charlie agreed. "But he was still a human being and I… I killed him. He had a family and friends and…"

She sighed heavily and shook her head.

"But you didn't have a choice, did you?" Joey said. "I mean, he was trying to kill you…"

"Well, technically, at that particular point in the day, he was trying to kill Brax but… yeah," Charlie sighed.

She felt Joey stiffen a little. Shifting, she gazed into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Joey lied.

Charlie sighed heavily and pulled away. She moved until she was sitting cross legged directly in front of her girlfriend. She reached out and held her hands.

"Joey, talk to me…" she begged.

"I guess I'm just not all that comfortable with the Brax thing," Joey admitted.

"No kidding," Charlie remarked. "But I've already told you it's over, Joey. I don't know what else I can do…"

Joey sighed and squeezed her hands.

"There's nothing you can do," she said quietly. "I just have to get over it."

She chewed her lip and tried to regulate her breathing.

"Charlie, I have a confession to make," she ventured.

Charlie looked her directly in the eye.

"You thought I'd cheated on you," she concluded.

Joey nodded silently.

"But I didn't," Charlie said. "I know I made a mistake before but I'm different now. I know what it's like to lose you, Joey and there's no way I'm going through that again. I'd never…"

She trailed off and tried not to cry. She couldn't help but fear they would be going round and round in circles forever. Part of forgiveness was trust and Charlie was concerned that Joey was never going to get there.

"I know," Joey said softly. "I know that now."

"But you didn't know it today?" Charlie asked.

"I… I heard you say his name when you hung up the phone from me," Joey admitted. "And I think I went a little crazy…"

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, studying the expression on her girlfriend's face.

"Joey, can I ask you a question?" she asked.

Joey nodded.

"Are you ever going to forgive and forget what happened before?"

"I will," Joey said. "I do."

"I just… I'm feeling so on edge right now," Charlie admitted. "I feel like if I put a foot wrong, you're going to accuse me. And I… I mean, I know I deserve it but I feel like I've worked really hard to prove how much I love you and…"

"You have," Joey cut in. "I don't know why I freaked out like I did. But I do forgive you, Charlie and I do trust you. Maybe… maybe we needed today to put everything in perspective. We've got over a hurdle and now we can just trust each other."

She looked hopeful. Charlie smiled before leaning in to kiss her.

"Can I ask you another question?" Charlie requested, refusing to meet Joey's eye this time.

"Sure," Joey said, her voice hollow.

"Did you cheat on me today?" Charlie asked.

She kept her head down and studied a mark on the bedspread.

"No," Joey replied quietly. "But I considered it."

Charlie looked up, searching Joey's expression.

"I'm sorry," the younger girl said. "I'm really, really sorry."

"If you did do something," Charlie said. "You can tell me. I won't be mad. I just… need to know."

"I didn't," Joey promised. "I went out to a bar and a girl hit on me. I could have and I nearly did but at the last minute, I changed my mind. I know how painful it is to be betrayed and I couldn't do that to you. I didn't know where we stood with each other and I didn't know what to do. But I love you, Charlie. And I knew I had to have enough respect for you that even if it was over, we had to make sure first. I couldn't just go off with someone else."

"Like I did," Charlie said quietly, bowing her head again.

Joey squeezed her hands gently.

"That's not what I meant," she assured her. "I just meant that… that I would never hurt you like that. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Even though…?"

"Neither of us are perfect," Joey said. "But we're trying, right?"

Charlie smiled, nodding quietly.

"So, if you can forgive me for nearly making a huge mistake, then I still want to stay together," Joey said. "I want us to draw another line under the past to doubly make sure it stays there. And I want to move into the future with you right by my side."

She smiled lovingly at her girlfriend who returned the gesture.

"Can we do that?" she asked.

Charlie leant forward and kissed her again, this time with increasing passion.

"We can do that," she promised.

Drawing away, Joey still looked troubled.

"Are you sure?" she checked.

She stroked Charlie's face and gazed into her eyes, torn up by her own actions.

"Of course we can," Charlie said. "I mean, it's not like you actually _did _cheat on me. I don't even deserve…"

Joey interrupted her by saying her name.

"You deserve a hell of a lot better than me," the paramedic insisted.

"Joey, you're the most amazing…"

"You nearly died today," Joey said, her voice catching at the mere thought. "And I immediately thought the worst of you. I didn't even give you a chance to explain. I just… I'm so sorry."

She hung her head, doubting they could move past it after all.

"Of course you thought the worst of me after…"

Joey laughed sadly and kissed her. They rested their foreheads together.

"What are we like?" she wondered. "We're both so eager to blame ourselves for everything…"

Charlie managed a smile.

"How about we say that what happened last time was your fault?" Joey suggested. "And what happened this time was all down to me?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Charlie decided. "As long as we can really put everything behind us this time."

Joey leant in and kissed her.

"I am so sorry for letting you down," she said sincerely. "I swear it will never happen again. I swear. I think I just got so panicked because…"

"Because?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Because I'm so happy," Joey admitted. "I loved you so much the first time around and I was so broken when I lost you. And I'm even happier this time around and…"

She sighed

"I guess I've been scared that… well, that if it went wrong again, I wouldn't recover. And subsequently, I kind of tried to sabotage things… I'm sorry. I love you."

Charlie gazed into her eyes, falling in love with her all over again.

"I know," she said softly. "And I also know that nothing is going to break us this time."

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Casey ends up in court, Brax hooks up with his lawyer and Charlie ends up in the local newspaper…<em>


	29. Chapter 29

_Oh, Luckdog, Joey and I are never going to make you happy in this, are we! Sigh. Well, there are two chapters let to go on this one so I hope everyone has at least mostly enjoyed the ride! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

Joey arrived in Summer Bay, ready to support her family during Casey's trial. He had been charged with an arson attack on a rival gang's property. The leader of the gang was called Jake, the brother of Hammer, the man Charlie had shot during her kidnapping ordeal. Casey and Ruby had got back together and she had promised to wait for the boy she loved.

Brax had hooked up with his lawyer, Hayley and made several attempts to rub Charlie's nose in it. Charlie tried not to be amused that he was trying to make her jealous. He didn't seem to realise that it was a lost cause. Once upon a time, the thought of him going off with someone else would have destroyed her. When it had been Tegan, only a couple of months before, she had been utterly devastated. But now, she was secure and safe in her relationship with Joey and they were both determined to make it work. They loved each other and both were adamant that nothing was ever going to tear them apart again.

Dressed in her only suit, Joey knocked on Leah's door. She let herself in when she saw Charlie downing coffee in the kitchen. Charlie immediately put her cup down and pulled Joey into her arms. They hugged and kissed for several moments.

"What do you think about running away from today?" the police officer suggested.

She was in uniform, ready to give evidence against Casey.

"I wish we could," Joey said. "But once we get today over with, we have a whole week to do whatever we like."

Charlie nodded and kissed her again.

"We really should have booked an actual holiday, you know," she mused.

"We should have," Joey agreed. "But I'm sure we can have fun regardless."

Charlie nodded enthusiastically. She just wanted to get everything over with and then she could focus on relaxing and having fun with her girlfriend. It had been a couple of weeks since their previous crisis but for both of them, it had become a distant memory. They were both determined to focus on the present and the future, not the past.

"Are you ready, Charlie?" Ruby asked, bursting into the kitchen. "Oh, hey, Joey."

She grinned and hugged her.

"Are you guys ready to go?" she repeated. "I don't want to be late."

"Yep," Charlie said. "We're all set."

* * *

><p>Three hours later, most people left the court in a state of distress. Ruby and the Braxtons' were utterly devastated that Casey had been sentenced to thirty days in custody. Charlie was feeling bitter over the way Brax's slutty lawyer had dragged her over the coals. She had publicised Charlie's former relationship with Brax and made out to the court that she had only pressed charges against Casey in a bid for revenge. It had taken all Joey had not to go for her or Brax.<p>

Outside the court, in the fresh air, Charlie leant against the wall and caught her breath. Joey kept close by her, holding her hand and assuring her that everything was going to be alright.

"Nothing's going to be alright," Charlie disagreed. "This is exactly what I was terrified of happening."

With the truth about her relationship with Brax out in the open, she was sure she could kiss goodbye her career, not to mention her standing within the local community.

"Charlie, I'm sorry," said a male voice.

Charlie looked up sharply, her jaw and fists clenched.

"Sorry for what, exactly?" she snapped bitterly. "For humiliating me in there?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Brax insisted.

"Oh, so you're whore of a lawyer just guessed all that information about us, did she?"

Brax hesitated, not entirely sure how to respond. He tried not to read too much into Charlie's words, not wanting to fool himself into thinking she could be jealous of Hayley.

"I didn't think she was going to use it like that," he finally said.

"How the hell did you _think _she was going to use it?" Charlie demanded.

She pushed away from the wall and marched up to him furiously.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done to me?"

"I think Casey's in a worse position than you!" Brax argued. "If it had been Ruby, don't you think _you _would have done whatever it took to get her off?"

"Ruby wouldn't have been so stupid as to become a criminal like you and your lot!" Charlie shouted.

"Charlie, I think we should calm this down," Joey said gently, tugging on her girlfriend's hand.

"Yeah," Heath said, coming up behind Brax. "Listen to the little muff diver."

Joey was ready to swing for him. Charlie and Ruby held her back.

"Yeah," Brax remarked. "You've totally upgraded from me to _that_, haven't you?"

Without another word, he, Hayley, Heath and Cheryl marched away. Left outside the court together, Joey quietly apologised.

"It's not your fault," Charlie said sadly. "None of this is your fault. It's all down to me."

* * *

><p>The next morning, things were even worse than Charlie feared. The news of her relationships with both Brax and Joey were splayed all across the front page of the local newspaper. The headline read "Local Cop Ditches Criminal Gang Member for Lesbian Love Tryst". It made Charlie feel sick just thinking about what everyone would be saying about her right about now. She felt like her life was over.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie is in trouble at work while Joey and Bianca try to cheer her up…<em>


	30. Chapter 30

_This is the penultimate chapter of this one so I hope you enjoy it. I have had a couple of new story ideas so there might be some new stuff coming up over the next few weeks. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty**

Joey waited outside the police station while Charlie met with her boss, Inspector Joyce. She had been called in to be interviewed and dragged over the coals over the rumours of her former relationship with Brax.

"Hey," she greeted warmly when her girlfriend approached the car. "How did it go?"

Charlie sighed heavily and climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door. She leant against the head restraint and closed her eyes.

"Charlie?"

"Every case involving the River Boys this year has to be reviewed," the Sergeant said. "And I'm not allowed to have any more professional dealings with them. But it has counted in my favour that I already privately confessed before it all blew up in court."

Joey nodded thoughtfully. She reached out and held her girlfriend's hand. Charlie turned to look at her and managed a weak smile.

"Do you realise you're the _only _good romantic choice I have ever made?" she asked.

Joey couldn't help but smile. They had come a long way from a time when Charlie had been embarrassed to be seen with her, to claim her as her own.

"Even with the newspaper article?" she asked softly. "They really scandalised us."

"No," Charlie replied in an equally gentle tone. "The only problem I have with the article is that it highlighted my fling with Brax. I'm ashamed of it. But I'm proud of us."

Joey leant across the seats and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"How about we go for lunch at the Diner?" she suggested.

Charlie immediately shook her head.

"I don't want to go near any residents of Summer Bay," she said. "Especially not gossips like Colleen."

"You're going to have to face them all some time," Joey pointed out. "It might as well be now."

Charlie sighed and squeezed her hand.

"We got it all wrong before," she mused.

"What do you mean?"

"The first morning, after we slept together," Charlie said. "We should have run away like we wanted to. We should have taken time out to escape and get used to being together. Then maybe things wouldn't have turned out like they did. Maybe I wouldn't have made yet another shitty decision. Maybe none of this would have happened. If we'd have done things a different way…"

Joey lifted Charlie's hand and kissed it.

"We can't live on 'what if'," she said. "We just have to deal with now. I vote the Diner, face the gossip head on and then we can escape and do whatever we like for the next week. What do you reckon?"

"You'll stay with me the whole time?" Charlie asked.

"Every single second," Joey promised.

* * *

><p>At the Diner, Joey spotted Bianca sitting alone with a coffee. Retaining hold of Charlie's hand, she wound her way over and asked if they could join her.<p>

"Sure," Bianca said, welcoming them warmly. "How are you doing?"

She directed her question to Charlie who looked like the shadow of her former self.

"Pretty shitty," Charlie sighed.

She glanced around her. Having been caught staring, Colleen flushed and hurried back into the kitchen. Charlie sighed heavily.

"Is there anybody who isn't talking about me right now?" she asked, longing for the answer to be yes.

"It'll blow over," Bianca said. "Just give it a few days and…"

She also sighed, feeling terrible for her friend.

"I keep telling her that," Joey put in. "It's only been a few hours since everyone found out. But it's not like she's still with the guy."

She turned to address Charlie directly.

"You saw the error of your ways and came back to _me_," she smirked. "No harm, no foul!"

Despite herself, Charlie laughed.

"That's very true," she agreed. "But I should never have gone near him in the first place."

"It's not always that easy," Bianca said.

Her eyes immediately drifted to Heath who was having lunch with his daughter, Darcy in another corner of the venue.

"You two haven't…?" Charlie checked.

"No," Bianca said quickly. "For starters, after what happened to me, I don't want to go near another guy for a long time."

Joey looked confused. Charlie looked at Bianca, silently seeking permission to fill her in. Bianca merely nodded and studied her coffee.

"Bianca was raped at a party a few weeks ago," Charlie explained quietly.

Joey nodded in understanding. She had more than enough compassion for what Charlie's friend had been through.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," she said sadly.

"Joey went through the same thing a couple of years ago," Charlie explained.

Bianca looked a little startled.

"That's how we met," Charlie said. "I was helping her get justice against the monster that attacked her."

She sighed heavily.

"I didn't know how to draw the line then either," she said unhappily.

Joey squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek.

"You know that was different," she said firmly. "Don't even go there."

Charlie forced a smile.

"I just wish I could go back and do things differently," she sighed. "Do them better. I seem to mess up at every single turn."

She shook her head and looked utterly deflated. Joey put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, assuring her that everything would be okay.

"Everyone will forget about it soon enough," Bianca said. "Joey's right. If you and Brax were still together then yes, it would be a scandal and it would complicate things. But you're not with him anymore and you haven't been for a while. It'll all blow over and people will move on."

"I just hope they move on quickly," Charlie said.

* * *

><p><em>Next time… Charlie refuses to help Brax and makes a decision about her future…<em>


	31. Chapter 31

_The last chapter…_

**Chapter Thirty One**

It had been several weeks and things had started to settle down, at least as far as gossip was concerned. Charlie had proved herself to her superiors and vowed not to pose any conflicts of interest. She had also been cleared of any wrongdoing regarding Hammer's death.

Unfortunately, Brax had got himself into yet more hot water. It turned out that Hayley, the lawyer he had been sleeping with, at least in part to try and make Charlie regret breaking up with him, had been playing a game. She had been hired as the lawyer of the leader of the rival gang to the River Boys, Hammer's older brother. Now, Brax was in the frame for an armed robbery.

"Charlie, you have to help me!" Brax begged.

He'd gone surfing in a bid to clear his head and found his ex-girlfriend sitting on the beach, reading a book. The pretty police officer sighed and looked up from _Oranges are not the Only Fruit_, a book Joey had lent her when she had begged for lesbian credentials.

"Sorry?" she said.

Brax sat beside her without permission, sea water dripping off his muscular body.

"You have to help me," he said. "I've been set up."

"It's not my business," Charlie said firmly. "I'm not working on your case."

"Charlie!" he yelled, desperate and loud. "How can you just walk away like that?"

"I'm not allowed to work on your case," Charlie told him, pronouncing every word as if he was thick.

"You could still help me," Brax insisted.

Charlie threw her book down on the sand.

"And how the hell do you expect me to do that?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Brax said. "But you know as well as I do that I'm being set up."

Charlie sighed and nodded. From her knowledge of the situation, it did indeed look like a set up. Hayley had bailed as his alibi, prompting Charlie to offer some directions to Watson as to how to lead the investigation. Watson had confirmed that Hayley was not on Brax's side but when she had followed the rest of her leads, she had found the culprit who merely claimed that Brax had been his wing man.

"I already did what I could, Brax," Charlie said. "I gave Watson the information and investigated. I can't help you now. It's not my place."

She felt like they had had this same conversation multiple times now and she was tired of it. The first time Brax had approached her, Charlie had taken the situation straight to Joey who hadn't seen a problem with her making suggestions to Watson but didn't think she should go any further. She had only just got things back on track at work and within the community and no good could come of ruining it again.

"Charlie, they're going to hang me out to dry for something I didn't do," Brax protested. "Even if you _don't _love me anymore and even if you _do _want that Joey chick, I didn't think you'd abandon all your morals and let an innocent man to jail.

"An innocent man?" Charlie scoffed.

"Yes, an innocent man!" Brax insisted.

"Brax, you might not be guilty of this particular crime but I know you've been guilty of a tonne of others," Charlie pointed out. "Others that you have _not _paid the price for."

Her ex-boyfriend growled in frustration.

"I can't believe you're just abandoning me like this," he said bitterly.

He stood and brushed the sand off his shorts.

"You know, you really are the _last _girl I thought would turn into a man hating lesbian," he said. "But when you're over this stupid little phase of yours, don't expect me to still be hanging around."

Charlie watched him grab his surf board and storm back up the beach. She picked up her book and found her place again.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay, Charlie?" Joey asked, her voice full of concern.<p>

She had come to the Bay for a few days in order to spend time with her girlfriend. But, out to dinner, Charlie seemed very distracted.

"No," Charlie replied honestly.

Joey reached across the table and caught hold of her hand.

"What's wrong?"

"I just don't want to be here anymore, Joey," the police officer sighed.

Joey looked immediately alarmed.

"You chose the restaurant…" she mumbled.

"No!" Charlie said quickly, keeping hold of her hand. "I mean in Summer Bay."

Joey looked bewildered.

"I just feel like so many bad things have happened here, Joey," Charlie explained. "I feel like I've just gone from one disaster to another."

"But you're happy now, aren't you?" Joey said. "I mean, things are better?"

"Exactly," Charlie said. "I've got everything I ever wanted now. I'm back on track at work, Ruby and I have a wonderful relationship again, I have a lovely housemate and I have you, Joey. You and Ruby are the best things that have ever happened to me. I have the relationships with both of you that I want. But I feel like this place is just going to destroy that somehow and I couldn't bear it if I lost you."

"What are you saying?" Joey asked cautiously.

"I'm saying that if I can get Ruby to agree, I want to move to the city to be with you," Charlie said.

Joey looked startled but pleased.

"You do?" she asked.

"Don't worry," Charlie grinned a little shyly. "I'm not about to elbow my way into your apartment or anything but it'd be great to get a place nearby. Ruby's finished school now so that won't be a problem and I'm sure she and Casey can figure things out if they stay together. I just… I want to start again. I want to take the good things in my life and cherish them."

Joey smiled. She lifted Charlie's hand and kissed the back of it.

"I'd love it if you moved to the city," she said. "And if Aden agreed, I'd genuinely love it if you _did _move into our place. It would be wonderful to have the chance to start over properly."

A smile lit up Charlie's face. She hadn't been this happy in a long, long time.

"Let's do it," she said eagerly.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, Charlie and Ruby were packed up and ready to go.<p>

"I'm going to miss you so much," Leah said, pulling them both into a hug.

It hadn't been the easiest time for her lately. She'd ended up having a miscarriage and she and Miles were constantly at each other's throats. They didn't seem able to communicate like normal people anymore. Leah wanted more than ever to have Charlie and Ruby stay but she knew she couldn't hold them back from their new lives.

"You can come and visit whenever you like," Ruby assured her.

It had taken a little persuading to get the teenager to agree to move. She'd wanted to stick around and wait for Casey to finish his time in detention. But the look of sheer disappointment, bordering on depression on her mother's face when she'd said no was too much to bear. She understood that Charlie had been to hell and back in the Bay and she couldn't deny her the chance to start again. Plus, her chosen University would be much closer from their new home next year.

"You might regret saying that," Leah said.

"As if," Charlie replied, hugging her again. "Seriously, come any time. Just because we're moving away, it doesn't mean our friendship is over. You've come to mean far too much to both of us for that."

"Knock, knock!" a voice called from the back door.

All three women looked up to see Bianca, Watson, Irene, Miles, Alf, Xavier, Dex and April arrive to wish them well.

"We found a strange woman in your van!" Bianca teased, poking Joey who had been patiently waiting in the driver's seat, ready to move their things.

Joey poked her tongue out and came to stand by Charlie.

"You guys all came to say goodbye to us?" Charlie asked, clearly surprised and clearly touched.

"Of course we did," Irene said. "We're going to miss you both."

Charlie and Ruby were particularly moved, considering the older woman was so poorly at the moment. She was only at the beginning of chemotherapy and it was proving to be a very painful experience.

"Thank you," Charlie said sincerely.

Hugs and affectionate farewells were exchanged before Charlie and Ruby picked up the last of their bags, ready to start their new lives.

"Ready to go?" Joey asked, having also been involved in the goodbyes.

"As we'll ever be," Charlie said, bracing herself.

She smiled, knowing that she was doing exactly the right thing. She and Joey led the whole group outside the house. Charlie, Joey and Ruby were about to pile into the van when Charlie spotted Brax hovering nearby. She looked at Joey who gave silent permission to go and speak to him. Everyone else opted to talk amongst themselves.

"I heard you were taking off," Brax said. "For good."

Charlie nodded.

"I feel like I've just run you out of town or something," he admitted.

For weeks, he had continued to apply pressure to her to help him get out of the charges being laid against him. He'd even gone so far as trying to persuade her to lose some evidence so that the case would fall apart.

"It's not you personally," Charlie said. "It's just the whole situation. I feel like if I'd stayed here, I would have ended up going down some dark path, probably with you. I feel like my life would have been full of regrets and I wouldn't have been able to stop making the same mistakes over and over again."

"Thanks," Brax mumbled sourly.

"I need to go away and start again," Charlie continued. "I need to make the right choices, be a good person. I want to work hard, be happy and in love and not have the kind of complications I would have here. I owe it to myself, to Ruby and to Joey to really give our lives the best chance to succeed."

Brax nodded. He extended his hand to her and she shook it politely.

"Then I wish you all the luck in the world," he said.

She nodded and thanked him before turning back to her friends. She hugged everyone one more time and then hopped into the van, nestling herself between Joey and Ruby.

"All set?" Joey asked.

Any anxiety she might have had about Charlie changing her mind faded away when she saw the smile on her girlfriend's face.

"I couldn't be more set if I tried," Charlie said. "I am so, so happy that we're doing this."

Joey leant over and kissed her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Charlie replied.

Ruby cleared her throat loudly.

"We love you too, Rubes," both women chorused.

"Then let's get this show on the road!" Ruby declared.

Needing no further encouragement, Joey started the engine. Charlie and Ruby waved until their friends were out of sight before facing the front again, ready for the three of them to start their new lives together.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story, for being open with your comments, your likes and your frustrations! I really hope you have enjoyed it. Love, IJKS xxx<em>


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